Student Number 32
by TzuiAssassian
Summary: A new student comes to class 3A. Why is she here? Who knows. What is this story about? Who knows. All that I know is that she came to Japan for some unknown reason. What is it? Well, I really don't know, so just read and find out.
1. I: New Student

**Chapter I  
**_**A New Student**_

The ten-year-old boy teacher walked into his dorm room that he shared with two of his thirty-one students. Although it seemed odd for someone of such a young age to become a teacher, there are certain exceptions, especially with a child that has a professor's knowledge in the area of English, and is a wizard, born of the famous Western mage, The Thousand Master.

Entering, he flicked on the lights of the darkened room, meaning that the students he occupied this room with were not yet back, so he would have a bit of time for himself. He climbed up the ladder of to the side of the living area of the room that took him to his loft that was located next to the empty bunk bed. The red-haired boy turned on his laptop and grabbed his tea pot from a shelf, climbed down the ladder, entered the kitchen, and began making a pot of Earl Grey tea, while waiting for his laptop to boot up. Filling up the pot with water, he closed the lid to it and placed it on the stove, turning it up to 'high' to speed up the boiling. Once the pot began giving an ear-piercing whistle, the child teacher turned off the stove, and poured the water into a cup with a tea bag he prepared not too long ago.

With his cup of tea, the boy returned back to his loft, and saw that his laptop was already booted up and completed with its regular virus scan it did every time it was turned on. The desktop picture was one of all of his students, most smiling, with him in the middle. Clicking on the 'Internet' thumbnail, a window opened up to 'Mahoo.' Clicking on the 'username' box, he typed in 'MageTeacherNegi' and his password in the box below to enter his e-mail.

Not surprising, Negi, as his username stated, had received only ten e-mails due to the fact that he rarely gave out his e-mail address to anyone. Entering his inbox, he saw the majority of the mail was SPAM that had passed through the filter. After deleting those, he was left with two e-mails; one from the Mahora library, saying that there was a new selection of books available for check-out. The other was from the headmaster of the school, the subject entitled 'New Student to 3-A.'

_What!? 'New Student to 3-A!' Then, does that mean…_ Quickly opening the e-mail, he scanned it so fast that he had not a clue what was written. Calming himself down, he read over the e-mail. It read;

_Dear Negi-Kun;  
I am surprised to see how far you have gotten since arriving here at Mahora, and I have something surprising to tell you. Starting Monday, you will receive another student to your class, so I would be most happy if you would show the student around on tomorrow afternoon. You will meet the person in front of the middle-school dorms at two. Be a good host! I would also like to hear about what the student is like for I have not yet received the profile of him/her.  
Regards; Konoemon Konoe._

Re-reading the e-mail, Negi was surprised to hear about a new student coming to his class, but he would've hoped to have really known more about the student. _So,_ he thought. _I'm getting a new student to my class, and I will act as an Englishman and be a good host to this person!_

- : - : - : - : - : -

**_Negi's POV_**

I waited anxiously for my new student to arrive in front of the dorms. It was only a few minutes before two, and I could not see any one that would seem like the person the headmaster talked about. After all, all the girls who went to this school always waved at me and smiled or said a comment about how cute I am, which gets annoying after awhile.

_Crash!_

Hearing that, I turned to my left to face a clutter; a girl crashed into a few students and fell into a bush, and something hit a lamppost that looked like a skateboard. Because I'm such a gentleman (a little bit of modesty there), and because she might've been hurt, I ran up to the girl in the bush, stopping off at the students she hit to see if they were okay.

_I've never seen somebody do that before…well, maybe I have._ "Excuse me, are you alright?" I asked the girl in the bush, who was flailing around wildly. _Maybe she needs help._ I grabbed one of her arms, and pulled her out of the bush with a little bit of struggle doing so. "Are you alright?" I asked again.

She looked at me with dark blue eyes, and replied "Yeah, I'm okay." Her apparel seemed a bit odd; although it was spring, she wore two blue t-shirts, one long-sleeved and one short-sleeved. The thing that seemed oddest was her bottom clothing; it was just the same as her shirts, were she wore a longer khaki pair under a shorter one of same color. Her hair was blackish-white and went down to her shoulders. Upon her wrist was a silver bracelet with a red-colored stone, presumably ruby, set under pieces of silver that appeared to make out the shape of snow-covered mountains.

"Well, that's good to know." I smiled reassuringly at her. With that said, I asked, "So, what's your name?"

Walking past me, she replied "Well, isn't it courteous for an Englishman to say theirs before they ask a female? Or are you not polite?" She bent down in front of the lamppost to pick up the skateboard. Odd enough though, it had no wheels, but just a silver-metal frame.

"Well, I guess you're right." I smiled at her again. "I am Negi Springfield. And you are?"

She paused. "Negi Springfield, I am Aer. Aer Hazumii." _Aer Hazumii? I know I have never heard that name before. Maybe she's…_ "By the way, are you the host?" _Yeah, she's the new student._ I nodded. "Okay, then; show me around, as is your duty."

- : - : - : - : - : -

_Brrring._

The first bell of school went off, and I felt good about what happened on Saturday. The class had taken less than normal time to get into their seats because I told them earlier that we had a new student starting today. I sat in front of three rows of six two-seater desks, most of which were occupied. The seat next to Asakura-San was empty, as usual, and this wasn't the first day that Evangeline and Chachamaru weren't here.

Only a few minutes into home base did the door of the class of 3-A open. The person that walked into the classroom was the same person that I helped locate around two days prior. But, she wasn't really wearing the normal uniform, well, she was wearing the top-portion of it, but instead of the skirt she wore the same style of pants as before. _Meh, I guess it doesn't really matter._

"Class," I said. "This is our new student, Aer Hazumii. She will be with us for awhile, and I would be obliged if you were to give her a good welcoming." All the twenty-eight students present stood up and bowed at Aer, which seemed really formal 'cause my new student didn't seem to be_ that_ formal. "Okay, I guess I could go over the students' names, and then you can take a seat at an open desk…"

- : - : - : - : - : -

**_Aer's POV_**

The bell had rung at the end of the last class. All of the students began packing up their supplies, ready to get to their dorms or wherever they lived. I quietly packed away my things not chatting with any of the rest of my class. But, if someone said 'hi' to me, then I would just reply 'hi' back.

I was just about to exit the classroom as one of the last students when the teacher called me over to his desk. Without any much as a retort, I went up to him and asked him what he wanted me over for.

"Well," He replied, pushing his bifocals up more on his nose. _Those things must be annoying to wear, _I randomly thought. "Do you know about the blackout that will occur this evening?" Of course I didn't, so I shook my head 'no.' "Well, I hadn't known until a few days ago, but for a few hours, you should stay in your dorm room. I will be out on watch, and I don't want to worry about a new student wandering around at night. So, just remember that okay?"

I nodded in agreement. _But, I wonder…_ "Negi-Sensei, osio chi darfod at bod Cymraeg?" (Negi-Sensei, do you happen to be Welsh?)

Surprised at the question I asked, he replied "Uh, I guess, yeah. But…"

_Thought so._ "Never mind. That was a stupid question. But…be careful tonight. If you wander around by yourself you might get _attacked_ by some _people_ you wouldn't think you'd be." I tried emphasizing some words, but he just looked puzzled and I decided to take my leave. "Well, then. See you tomorrow, Negi-Sensei!"

I left the room and my teacher behind. _I guess he didn't notice but…I guess he is Welsh, or some part, at least. After all, I was talking to him in the language of Wales..._

- : - : - : - : - : -

Author's Note: Well, new story, and I'm really happy 'bout that. Took me weeks what would've taken me a few days, but I seriously had the biggest writer's bloack(ade) ever! (I say bloackade becuase I couldn't write on this story, or any other sotries or anything!) Well, I hope that this story will be liked a lot, becuase the 'interactive fanfiction' needs readers to work. What is an 'interactive fanfiction'? Simple!It means that you readers can review on my stories (which I really love) and include little events you would like to see me write about. I only have one rule though;** Do NOT submit ideas from past chapters that are not yet published by Del Rey! I read the manga, not the scans!!!**

) Thanks to everyone who gives me ideas!


	2. II: Black Out

**Chapter II**  
_**The Blackout at Mahora Begins**_

**_Aer's POV_**

The sky grew darker as night approached, and the Japanese sunset was a lot different than what I normally experienced back in Wales. My brother is back there, too, and I knew it would be hard to have him come here after what he just went through. _Well, I can't think about that currently. If what I said to Negi-Sensei is right, then he will be attacked by a few of his students. And his aura may be strong, but I doubt his actually ability alone would let him win._

- : - : - : - : - : -

I was standing outside of the girls' middle-school dorm rooms, waiting for the blackout that Negi-Sensei mentioned. It seemed weird that there would be something like that on a huge campus like this, but I guess that whatever they need to do to fix the computer systems have to happen.

Not much later, the PA went on, saying that the blackout was going to happen, and everyone should stay inside while it was in effect. It then went fuzzy, and all the lights and electrical devices in Mahora turned off simultaneously. _Damn, _I thought. _This might be a bit different than what I imagined..._

Except for the light of the moon, everything was entirely dark and ominous-looking. All of the buildings' windows were pitch-black, as were the walkways around the campus. An eerie silence fell, a silence like those of the dramatic scenes in stories and movies were the good hero would be attacked by the evil, wicked villain and their minions. A small wind passed by, blowing through my blackish-white hair as clouds above moved in front of the path of the moonlight, causing the only source of light to nearly vanish.

All was quiet. A little _too_ quiet, if you asked me.

_Mea virga, veni mihi_. (My wand, come to me.) I un-incantated this spell in my mind, a spell that most mages are capable of doing at whim. A small amount of time passed, a minute at the most, and you would be capable of hearing an object slicing through the air as it rushed kilometers per hour through the night sky. This object, magically flying, was a wooden wand with a crescent-shaped head at the top. On the side of it, a somewhat oval-shaped hole was cut where three silver bells were tied to; odd enough, these bells never made a sound whenever they jingled around. Only when a spell was cast off using this artifact would they create a 'jingling' sound.

Raising my arm, the wand landed in my hand half a second later. I felt ready for whatever were to occur tonight.

- : - : - : - : - : -

Not much later could a sound of a window breaking be heard, its several broken pieces falling to the ground seconds later with a crash, echoing throughout the campus. If I could make sense of it, I would most likely say that it came from the area of the bathhouse not too far from here. A few screams could be heard momentarily later, then more sounds of ruckus. _Already, it started_, I thought. _Too bad that this won't last long, but I doubt that Negi-Sensei would enjoy dying at the age of ten._ "Celer terga!" (Quick escape!) As soon as I cast my spell, it did quite a different effect as my last one. This one allowed my to run at least five times faster, which would seem odd to use when I have a wand at my disposal, but someone might see me if I were to fly on it. Although that's a bit hypocritical since using magic is as bad as using magic in front of the dorm rooms where people could look out the window and watch me use it...

I used my sense of hearing to keep behind the disruption of silence, and as I neared closer, it was obvious Negi-Sensei was being chased by two of his students from my class. I don't remember their names, though, but the girl with the blonde hair sometimes starred at me funny during the lesson today. "I think her name was, uh...Evangeline McDowell, or something like that." _Odd,_ I thought. _Her name is European, not Japanese like everyone else's._

Two, maybe three minutes later, I could see the massive bridge structure leading out of the campus. It seemed to me that my home room teacher would try to escape to the other side, if things got out of hand--but wouldn't those two just follow him?

Stoping at the beginning of the bridge, Iwatched as ice stalagmites appeared from the black pavement below, knocking Negi-Sensei off of his wand. He tumbled down onto the floor, his magical artifact out of reach, as the two students began to confidently walk towards him as if the battle was already decided. _I-impossible!_ I thought to myself._ The son of the Thousand Master couldn't be defeated that easily! He...he must be planning something clever..._

The words practically came right out of my mouth, sorta. A magic rune began to glow as Evangeline and the other student stepped onto that section. Constricting binds of magic kept them from moving from that spot. Negi-Sensei got up almost immediately, wand in hand, and started cheering as if he just got his hands on a newly-released volume of his favorite manga.

But it didn't last for long. The girl with the green hair, Chachamaru, I believe, used some sort of technique that disabled the spell, allowing her and the blonde free. _Amazing! I've never seen someone do something like that before, able to get rid of the magic that easily!_

"GAHHH!" A scream erupted from the middle of the bridge while I was in mid-thought. I looked up to see Chachamaru seize Negi-Sensei so that he would be unable to move, Evangeline carelessly threw away his wand over the side of the bridge, into the waters below.

"What the-?!" I said, somewhat angrily. "She just threw his artifact into the water! Doesn't she know that a mage's artifact is something that mage's should always take care of and not treat it like crap!?" I began to run towards him in some feeble attempt to save him from those two. Looking upwards, I saw Evangeline about to do something horrible to the kid, though I'd rather not know what it was.

Nearing them, I was just about to cast a spell at her and stop her from doing whatever it is she was when Chachamaru must've heard me running towards them. She spoke. "Master. The new girl is here." Evangeline looked up at me, and ordered her to take care of me. "Yes, Master."

_I guess that if I want to save Negi-Sensei, I've gotta do it the hard way!_ I gathered magical energy and recited my spell. "Unus ignus Spiritus, veni irruo mihi hostium!" (One spirit of Fire, come and attack my enemy!) A single arrow of fire shot out from my hand, rushing forward in a straight line. The light it gave off could probably blind someone if they stared at it too long.

_Perfect._

Chachamaru covered her eyes from the light, and I simply ran right past her, dispersing the magic afterwards. "Evangeline!" I yelled, and she looked up from me. There was a pair of fangs in her mouth, pointy as a knife. _I should take note of that..._ "Stay away from Negi-Sensei!"

Right when she was about to cast a spell of her own, I punched her right in the face, causing her to fly backwards at least ten or so meters. "Master!" Chachamaru said, running to Evangeline to see if she was alright.

I grabbed Negi-Sensei's arm and ran back down the bridge until we were safe behind a pillar and out of those students' view.

_That was perfectly done!_ I thought, looking over at my teacher. "Uh...you okay, Negi-Sensei?" I asked.

He looked up at me, and I could tell there was something bothering him, really badly, by the looks of it. "It's...nothing..." He said, but I knew something was really up.

"It's okay. You can tell me." I smiled at him, trying to make him feel better.

"It's just..." He paused. "It's just... My father was able to beat her, and if I can't... what's the point of becoming a Magister Magi?!"

I began to feel slightly sympathetic for him. Thinking for a bit, I came up with the perfect thing to say. "Listen, no matter if you _do_ become a Magister Magi, I know that you can still be a great mage, if not just a great person to all of us here at Mahora. You're only ten years old, but you're taking on so much. Just...don't let Evangeline get to ya, okay?"

Negi-Sensei's face lit up. "Yeah! You're right! Thank you, Hazumii-San!" He bowed.

"Yeah, well, you can just call me by my first name, Negi-Sensei. I'd much rather be called 'Aer' than 'Hazumii-San.' (It sounds too formal)" He nodded. "Well, too bad there really isn't a way for me to help you out, really. I could use my—"

"Ah, Ane-san. There _is_ a way for you to help out Aniki here." A voice had interrupted me, and out of nowhere popped out a furry white ermine (that talks, to boot!). He was obviously a magical animal that Negi-Sensei has as a pet. I jumped back a bit, not used to seeing an animal speak Japanese like that. _That...ferret...is...talking... What will the world come to next?_

"C-Chamo-Kun!" Negi said worriedly.

"Shush, Aniki! Do you want to beat Evangeline, or what!?" The boy nodded. "Good. Then the only way to do this is by creating a Pactio with Ane-san!"

Confused, I asked, "A...Pactio...?"

The ermine nodded. "Yup! A Pactio with Aniki here! This way, with you as his partner, he'll be able to defeat Evangeline!" I saw Negi-Sensei blush slightly.

"I...see... Wait a minute! A..._partner_...!?"

- : - : - : - : - : -

Author's Note: Well, chapter two's done, and as you can see, I more-or-less took this idea from the third volume (episode eight) of Negima; just put it into my own version. Oh, and sorry if the chapters have been a little short to some people, but I'm trying my best to make them as long as possible.

Okay, and now for the thingy were the author's reply to what reviewers wrote and stuff (probably should be in the beginning, but I think it's better later)

_--NYITNYIT_ -- Too bad you won't be giving out ideas, but reviewing is good, too. And, I did add the POV (point of view) of which character to the first chapter.  
_--Tikigod784_ -- The 'volume 7/8' was from volumes 7 and 8. I changed it, by the way. And Aer a martial artist?! I never would think of her as that, but seeing I started this at volume 3, it _could_ happen...  
_--Chuchulovely_ -- Thanks for the idea, Chuchulovely. I might use it later on, but it's still the beginning of the fanfic so you'd never know...  
_--Hydriatus_ -- Thanks for the comment. And sorry that it's a little short, but I promise future chapters (starting around 4, maybe) will be longer than these.  
_--Koukaze _-- Thanks for the idea, but that might be a bit difficult to come up with a chapter about it...  
_--Tsutomu Teruko_ -- Thanks for the idea (slightly confusing, though) and your review. Glad to know that I'm doing good so far (hopefully...)  
_--Eternal-Longing_ -- Thank you a whole lot for your review, though you wrote a _lot_ in it... It's okay, though. Oh, and I enjoyed your criticism and I hope to read more reviews from you later.  
_--Kafka'sdragon_ -- Okay, another thank you for your review and your idea. (Glad you didn't write what Eternal-Longing wrote again...) Hm... the idea with Asuna might be a bit hard to write, though... Maybe I won't include anything big, but maybe just something about it.

See you all next chapter (hopefully!) Oh, and 8 REVIEWS on chapter 1!!!!! That's probably the best thing that's happened to me so far!


	3. III: The Pactio

**Chapter III  
**_**A Pactio is a Kiss!?**_

"I...see...wait a minute! A..._partner_...!? But...but... What do you mean by a partner!? Listen to me!"

I don't even think the ermine was paying the slightest attention to me. He was already on the ground, drawing up a magic circle that I guessed was supposed to be used for this Pactio thing he mentioned. Looking up at Negi-Sensei, I saw that his eyes were averted from me, looking over the bridge towards the sea. He was faintly blushing, and I began to worry about this thing myself.

"All finished!" The white ermine said, trying to forcefully shove the both of us into the one-meter diameter circle. "Now let's get this going, already! Aniki, you know what to do! So—Wait, Ane-san, do you know how a Pactio works?" Although it was hard to tell, he didn't seem the least bit worried about me, only about the Pactio. I shook my head no. "Ah, well, basically, you and Aniki here have to..." He paused for dramatic tension. "...kiss..."

I was taken aback slightly, feeling my face turn slightly red as well. "Wah... a... _kiss_...?!" The ermine nodded quickly, doing an embarrassing imitation of someone puckering their lips. _But; even though I'm already fourteen, I've never shared a kiss, not even had a boyfriend. Truly, I didn't care much for love but..._ "I...I..." I stopped for a second. "...just...once..."

The animal gave out a cheer, and all of a sudden, a bright purple light seemed to appear out from the magic circle. It didn't feel scary, not one bit, but I actually felt really... happy. My heart seemed to beat faster, and I was having second thoughts about this. _...I...I can't turn back now..._ I saw that Negi-Sensei already had his eyes closed and was waiting. _...Here goes nothing, I guess..._ I lowered down to his height, closed my eyes, and kissed my ten-year-old home room teacher.

The purple light grew brighter, and I swear, if I was on the other side of the campus, I bet I could've seen it.

"PACTIO!!!" The ermine said loudly, and I assumed that meant I was done with this kiss. However, I don't know why, but Negi-Sensei and I stayed like that for a few seconds longer. Trust me, I _seriously_ don't know why.

- : - : - : - : - : -

"Sis Mea Pars! Ministra Negiī, Aēr Hazumī!" A strange feeling went through my body. The three (if you include Chamo) of us went out from behind the pillar, showing ourselves to Evangeline and Chachamaru. It seemed obvious what my job was; I was supposed to protect Negi-Sensei from Evangeline's partner, Chachamaru, while he and the blonde fight with magic. Although it's weird, I might just use some of my own magic as well...

I could tell the night was only beginning.

Then, it all happened so quickly. Negi and Evangeline began using their magic in an all-out battle, and the green-haired student began coming straight at me. I was standing where I was, but it felt like minutes had passed. I shook my head. _Gotta attack her, even though I'd much rather not..._

I ran forward, right straight towards Chachamaru. She tried to perform an uppercut, but I dodged to the side and tried to trip her. Sidestepping backwards, she launched forward her arm and flicked me; right smack in the middle of my forehead.

"Ow!" I said, taking a step backwards. _What the heck!? Since when could she do that?_ Chachamaru began running towards me again, her fist ready for another punch. _And that hurt..._

I noticed I was right by the edge of the rail, the waves of the water smacking against the structural pillars of the bridge. _That's it!_ Jumping onto the rail, I crouched down until she came at me, trying to punch me off with all her might. That's when I jumped backwards into the water, using my wand to keep airborne.

Chachamaru did not expect that, coming from a partner after all. She tripped over the railing and fell downwards, down towards the waves. _Got her!_ I thought excitedly, beginning to fly upwards to help out Negi-Sensei.

Just then, something pulled at my leg down. I saw it was Chachamaru, who was, in fact, flying with jet packs that were coming out from her back. _Aw crap! So she __**is**__ a robot! That's no fair!_ She quickly pulled me downwards, and punched me right in my stomach as she did so. It hurt really badly, and I was the one who ended up falling down, down to the water below.

_Damn, this can't be happening! I graduated as the top one of my class, though there weren't many people at our school! I can't lose this easily; __I just can't lose to her, not now, not ever!_

As quickly as I had fallen, I shot out one of my spells directed right at Chachamaru. "Ūndētrīgintā Spīritūs Lūcis! Sagitta Magica! Seriēs Lūcis!" (Twenty-nine Spirits of Light! Magic Arrow! Light Series!) The arrows shot right out from my hand, all directed towards my classmate. She was facing the opposite direction when I cast it, though I'm not sure if she knew I summoned it or not.

"Reflectiō!" (Reflection) I heard someone yell, and a giant wall of Ice appeared in between the arrows and Chachamaru, dissipating them all to nothingness. Shocked, I saw that it was Evangeline who cast it, looking down at me from where she was up above. "You'd have to do better than that, girl!" She said, casting another spell at me. "Lic lac la lac lilac. Veniant Spīritūs Glaciālēs! Extentantur Āerī! Tundram et Glaciem, Locī Noctis Albae! Crystallizātiō Tellustris!" (Let the Ice Spirits Come! They are Extended to the Atmosphere! Tundra and Glacier of the Region of White Night! Glaciation of the Earth!)

This was a pretty powerful spell, as I could tell by the incantation. You know the worst part about it all?; she was aiming it right towards me!

In truth, I couldn't describe it, but it was big, scary, and icy (duh!), yet it didn't feel powerful. Weird...

It was halfway towards me, and yet, I just sat there on my wand, watching as that thing came closer and closer, ultimately going to kill me. My eyes were opened wide in horror, my mouth opened like an idiot, watching the spell coming towards me, to rip me to shreads.

Well, thing is, it would have killed me, that is, if it was still there.

All of a sudden, not very far from it's target, the magic spell just vanished and disappeared, as if it wasn't there at all. Confused, I overheard Chachamaru yell something to Evangeline. "Master! The blackout ended seven minutes and forty-two seconds early!" I wasn't sure when she said it, but all that I knew was that the blonde was screaming in pain, as ninety-nine percent of her magic energy went away, just like that. She began falling into the water, when Negi-Sensei, for no real reason, jumped down off the bridge and saved her.

- : - : - : - : - : -

The next morning, no one expected Evangeline to show up to class. Negi-Sensei was really cheerful, and Asuna thought that he was acting really suspicious, though I wasn't sure if she knew about magic or not. That day, I sat at the back of the class, not really bothering to pay attention to the English lesson. However, Negi-Sensei seemed to have blown off Asuna's clothes again.

The day went by quicker than yesterday's. Negi-Sensei mentioned that we were going on a trip to the Japanese cities of Kyoto and Nara, and after class, everyone left as soon as possible to begin shopping. I was the last one to leave, and before I did so, I looked over at my teacher, who was busy correcting today's test. Smiling, I left the classroom and headed towards the library to check something out.

Sighing, I thought to myself; _Yup...just an ordinary kid...if you call being a mage normal..._

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Author's Note: Okay, in truth, I don't even know if two mages can make a Pactio, but this is my fanfiction and I'm sticking to it. Aer Hazumii is a character from my story, which I actually changed from how she normally acts. In fact, she's portraying more of my own characteristics... O.O Weird, I know... Oh! And I might include some parts about Aer's personal life from my story, but I still have time to think 'bout it.

Sorry (again) that this chapter seems really short, but I promise the next one(s) will be longer! I tried to write this chapter quickly so I can do chapter four since Im updating a little later than normal. I've been busy, with lots of movies coming out, the Comic-Con, vacation coming up soon, and all that good stuff. Hopefully, (slightly) quicker updates (not as fast as Hydriatus, though!)

_Tikigod784_ -- That would be good idea. I'll try to see if I can add another person sometime soon :)

_The Ansem Man_ -- What do you mean by 'this is what everyone is talking about'? Anyways, thanks for the comments, though Aer is not a werid name (to me, that is)

(ONLY 2 REVIEWS!?!?!?) Just kidding... XP  
See you in chapter 4! (Oh, and I'm opening any suggestions for a better title for the fanfiction. I think the original is good, but someone said it was 'bland'. I just need ideas so I can create a better one: )


	4. IV: Mahoo IM

**Chapter IV  
_Mahoo Instant Messanger_**

_Wow, a field trip to Kyoto and Nara, _I thought, walking out from the school building towards the shopping center. _This should be quite interesting, having a mage teacher leading us..._

When I arrived at the shopping center, it was literally _packed_ with girls from my class and those from the other few classes attending us as well. The lines to everything were really long, even the bathrooms.

"Yeah...I don't think I'll go today..." I said, walking back to the center of Mahora. Upon the top of a hill, I looked out at the scenery, seeing how beautiful the view was. _Amazing..._ I thought, gasping at how far you were able to see. Something, however, caught my eye more than the rest; it was an island floating in the middle of the water. It was attached only by a small road that led from it to the rest of Mahora. _Maybe I should head there while everything else is full..._

I got onto the skateboard-looking object that everyone in 3-A thought was peculiar. It was, though, being my magical artifact as well as the staff I had back in my room. This item, however, was designed as a skateboard _purposefully_, so mages could be able to get from place to place without non-mages noticing them flying on wands. It used small amounts of the riders' magic to keep in the air, and the rider has to move their body in the direction they wanted to go. After a while, you'd get pretty used to it, though.

- : - : - : - : - : -

Arriving at the front of the islands' building, I jumped off the board so I wouldn't seem too out of place. Entering, I gasped to see rows and rows of books, spreading from one end of the room to the other, and even up and down floors. _I could seriously live here!_ I thought, walking up to the desk.

There, I saw two of the girls from my class, Nodoka Miyazaki and Yue Ayase, standing with their backs away from me, doing librarian work. I quietly snuck past them, trying not to get their attention when I heard a girls' voice.

"Ohayou!" I turned around to see a girl with long black hair and two antennaes on top of her head. She also wore glasses. "Aren't you that new girl to our class with the funny name? Aer, right?" I deliberately nodded, noticing Nodoka and Yue look up at me from the corner of my eye. _Great... Haruna Saotome. She was really loud the first day I got here, and she's still loud..._ "What'cha doing here?" She asked.

"Ju-just going to look at a couple of books." I replied hastily. She eye-browed me, then just shook her head and went to join her other two friends. _She's defiantly one to stay away from..._ I noted.

Walking through the bookcases, I scanned shelves, seeing what books they contained. After crossing to about the other side of the room, I found myself a book that seemed...familiar. "Huh?" I said, blowing some dust off the cover to read the title. "The Majik War: 1885-1892," it read. _Wait, since when was there Majik here? I thought..._ My brain stopped thinking as I turned the book open and saw it exactly the same as one of the copies I owned in my house. _This could only mean..._ I gulped, and went to the inside cover. The name written as the author was... 'Wilhelm Brookshire.' (A/N: A reference to my story. Just think of him as a person...so far...)

"What!?" I said, somewhat loudly. "But...if this is the exact same book that I have, then..." My thoughts were interrupted by the same voice of the same annoying girl.

"Heya! What book is that?" Haruna was here again, peering to look at the book I had open. Surprised, I closed the book suddenly and jumped back. "Aww, nothing you want me to see? Well, if that's how you want it..." She said, squinting her eyes at me like a raccoon. And just like that, she snatched the book from my grasp.

"Hey! Give it back!"

"The Majik War: 1885-1892? I've never heard of this book. Why's 'magic' spelled with a _j_ and a _k_? Typo? What's it about, fantasy?"

Ticked off slightly at this really annoying classmate, I grabbed the book from her and ran to a second level in the library. She tried to catch up, but I used magic to make sure she wouldn't. _That was close,_ I thought, panting behind a bookshelf. Below, Haruna was running around, saying my name to try and find me. _I should probably leave, but without that girl seeing me..._

- : - : - : - : - : -

It was nearly six in the evening by the time I got back to my room. I read through the entire book out under the World Tree, realizing this was, word for word, the same book I had owned. Don't ask me why, but I memorized the book when I was bored one day...

"Sheesh, as if that wasn't tiring, hiding from Haruna. She's such a pain in the ass. Well, to me, maybe. Dunno 'bout her friends, though." I grabbed a laptop I brought with me, as well as the wires that plugged into the output to allow me access on the internet. Once it was done doing the virus scan I set it to, finding nothing bad, I opened up the internet.

The home page was set to Mahoo; my username was already in the first box. It read 'LunarMageAer,' because I happened to like the moon, be a mage, and have the name 'Aer.' After typing in my password and clicking 'enter,' it opened to my e-mail. I had forty-seven inbox, and two-hundred bulk. As usual, only about ninety-percent of my e-mails were worthwhile.

"Let's see what kind of SPAM got into my inbox today..." I said, clicking on the 'Inbox' hyperlink. It took me to another page that displayed what messages I had in my inbox. Deleting the junk, I was left with three e-mails. The first was from the magus at the magic school I went to, saying the usual stuff elders always say. The second, from my brother, bugging me how he wanted to come to Japan again, though he's lived here longer than I have. I decided to reply to that e-mail later, marking it with an orange flag to remind me to check it.

Finally, the last message it was an e-mail with the subject 'Thanks for the help' with a smiley face attached. Curious, I opened it. This is what it read;

_Dear Aer-San,_

_Thanks again for helping me out with Evangeline-San and Chachamaru-San last night. I don't know if I could've done it without your help. But please, please, PLEASE don't tell my secret that I'm a mage! If I do, I'll be turned into and ermine and sent back to Wales! (which is where I come from, by the way!) _

_I also saw you use magic, so does that mean you are a mage too!? That would be a handful having two mages in my classroom! T.T_

_Well, take care for now, Aer-San!_

_-Negi_

_P.S. – If you want to, download MIM (Mahoo Instant Messenger) to talk with people who have Mahoo accounts as well. I find it great to communicate with my other students, as well. If you download it, please add me; MageTeacherNegi!_

I replied to the message, saying another 'your welcome' to him. I also mentioned that I already have MIM downloaded, so I would just add him on as a friend.

- : - : - : - : - : -

Logging onto MIM, I found that no one was on right now. Yet again, Japan was about seven hours ahead than Wales, so that might be the reason.

I added Negi-Sensei as my friend, and found that he was online after he added me in a minute. Slightly bored, I started a conversation with him.

(7:23pm) LunarMageAer: heya, Negi-Sensei  
(7:24pm) MageTeacherNegi: Oh, hello there, Aer-San! (smiley) I see you've read my message.  
(7:24pm) LunarMageAer: ya. so... whatcha wanna talk about?  
(7:26pm) MageTeacherNegi: I don't really know...  
(7:27pm) LunarMageAer: ...  
(7:30pm) LunarMageAer: well... are you busy right now?  
(7:34pm) MageTeacherNegi: Huh? Sorry, I was doing something else. Am I busy?  
(7:34pm) LunarMageAer: ya. Are you?  
(7:35pm) MageTeacherNegi: Well,... no. Not really. Surprisingly, none of my other students are on.  
(7:35pm) LunarMageAer: Im not  
(7:35pm) MageTeacherNegi: Huh? What do you mean by that, Aer-San?  
(7:36pm) LunarMageAer: U can just call me 'Aer', y'know. And you don't need to type every sentence out. just use abbreviations like I am—evryone does it on MIM.  
(7:37pm) MageTeacherNegi: Right, sorry. (smiley) i guess im just not used to MIM as much as you.  
(7:37pm) LunarMageAer: its okay, Negi-Sensei  
(7:38pm) MageTeacherNegi: what did you mean by that you're not surprised to see anyone else on?  
(7:39pm) LunarMageAer: well, the field trip's next week, so its obvious that the others arent going to be on  
(7:39pm) LunarMageAer: theyll probably be shopping right now; its only 7  
(7:41pm) MageTeacherNegi: that's true, i guess...  
(7:41pm) LunarMageAer: can i ask u a question?  
(7:41pm) MageTeacherNegi: sure  
(7:42pm) LunarMageAer: why is your name 'mage teacher Negi'? doesn't that tell the whole world that ur a mage?  
(7:42pm) MageTeacherNegi: well...I don't really know... (sweat) i guess i didn't think about that when i created it earlier...  
(7:43pm) LunarMageAer: shmart...  
(7:44pm) MageTeacherNegi: ...'shmart'?  
(7:44pm) LunarMageAer: YES!!! its my word...  
(7:46pm) LunarMageAer: brb (be right back)  
_LunarMageAer is now 'busy'_

I set aside my laptop for a while, standing up from the desk I was sitting at. My room was small for it held only me, with a twin bed next to the desk and a loveseat couch and small, glass coffee table. The bathroom was behind the couch, the door on the other side of the wall next to an egual-sized kitchen. Even though the room was tinier than most, and quite empty, I still liked it. _I'm both happy, and fearful..._ I thought to myself, looking at both my laptop screen and the book from the library. (Just to let you know, I didn't steal it!) _Wilhelm's here...but that could just be coincidence... No. I've got to stop thinking about that! After all, we're going on the field trip next week, so I should really be happy..._

Sighing, I sat back at my desk and took the computer out of the screen saver. I continued the conversation with Negi-Sensei.

(7:51pm) LunarMageAer: back  
(7:52pm) MageTeacherNegi: ok  
(7:53pm) LunarMageAer: sooo...  
(7:53pm) MageTeacherNegi: what?  
(7:54pm) LunarMageNegi: nothing. just tring to start a conversation...  
(7:54pm) LunarMagerAer: trying  
(7:55pm) MageTeacherNegi: um...well, i was just wondering, but you know magic, right?  
(7:56pm) LunarMageAer: ya. y?  
(7:56pm) MageTeacherNegi: when'd you learn it? I started a couple of years ago, and i graduated from the academy about a month ago. i'm only here as part of my training to become a Magister Magi.  
(7:59pm) LunarMageAer: that's interesting... explains why a ten year old is teaching...  
(7:59pm) LunarMageAer: anyways, i started when i was, i think, about...um...seven? i think... then i went to the magic school until i was 13. there wasnt really any reason why i was there for so long, tho...anyways, some...stuff's happened, and then i came here.  
(8:02pm) MageTeacherNegi: why?  
(8:02pm) LunarMageAer: huh?  
(8:03pm) MageTeacherNegi: why'd you come here?  
(8:03pm) LunarMageAer: Well...I, um...  
(8:03pm) MageTeacherNegi: shoot! i've been on the computer too long! (not just talking to you, though) ive almost forgotten to get the plans ready.  
(8:04pm) LunarMageAer? but we aern't doing anything important tomorrow, rite?  
(8:04pm) MageTeacherNegi: no, but for the field trip. ive gotta make a plan, as well as the other teachers. then we'll combine 'em so then everyone's happy.  
(8:05pm) LunarMageAer? aern't we going by ourselves?  
(8:05pm) MageTeacherNegi: no. there's gonna be two other classes there too. they want the plans by tomorrow morning, though.  
(8:06pm) LunarMageAer: but...its only 8...  
(8:06pm) MageTeacherNegi: i know, but i need to see what's there, and make the entire plan AND do tomorrows class plans  
(8:07pm) LunarMageAer: procrastinator -.-  
(8:07pm) MageTeacherNegi: ha ha (sarcastic) well, see you tomorrow for class.  
(8:07pm) LunarMageAer: k. bye  
(8:08pm) MageTeacherNegi: bye, Aer  
_MageTeacherNegi _has signed out.

Well, I guess that I should be getting ready for the trip next week. Hope nothing'll happen like some sort of ridiculous game or things along those lines. Of course, I do have some pretty bad luck...

- : - : - : - : - : -

Author's Note: Chapter four, completed quicker than any other chapter I've done on any story. (I feel so proud XD) The ending was planned differently than I wrote, resulting in another chapter. Maybe I'll put it in as an extra after I complete this fanfic...

Anyways, I won't be on from August 6th to the 15th, so probably the week after I'll upload chapter five. The last line should tell you what it's about. I'm trying to make my chapters 2000 words plus, hopefully, that way it's not too long nor too short.

_The Ansem Man_ -- Oh, so that's what you meant... (feels popular all of a sudden) Anyways, I'm glad to hear that you still enjoy my fic, and hopefully you'll continue to read it to the end )

_Tikigod784_ -- Sorry 'bout that, but this chapter should have a lot more dialouge, if not IMs.

_Sweet Heavens_ -- Thanks for the comment, and sorry about the author notes! T-T I'm trying to make them smaller and the actual fic longer, so hopefully it'll work out...sometime soon...

Three reviews, that's nice (although most people would kill for that...) Expect an update between the 17th and the week after!


	5. V: Fieldtrip Madness

**Chapter VI  
**'_**Lip Scramble! Operation: Kiss  
**__**Negi-Kun Passionately on the School Trip!'**_

For the next five days, everyone was talking about what we would do in Kyoto and what they were going to bring and whatnot. Occasionally, someone would ask me what I thought about going on the field trip or something along those lines, and I'd always reply with something like 'it'll be fun' or 'I'm really excited!'

Class and school were over when the bell rang throughout the building. My classmates all got up quickly, wanting to do any last-minute shopping at the shopping center, or going to get ready. I finished packing away my things when the window next to me suddenly burst open, a gush of wind blowing into the room. Zazie, my classmate partner, was unfortunate enough to have some papers and notebooks unpacked on her desk still. They went flying across the row of desks, scattering everywhere.

"I'll help you!" I said, rushing to grab the papers that flew away. I picked them up, and was about to hand them to her when I saw a beautiful picture of a heart. In it were the names 'Zazie + Lee.' The Lee guy was the one who signed it and gave it to her. "What's this?" I asked.

Shocked, she grabbed the paper from my hands, shoved them into her bag, and rushed out the door. _Ooookay..._ I thought, left behind without a 'thank-you,' doing a sweat-drop always used in animes and mangas.

- : - : - : - : - : -

It was morning already, and I didn't want to get out of me bed any more than I had to. Unfortunately, today was the day we would be leaving to go to Kyoto on our field trip—with the rest of the class. To me, about twenty-eight of those students are complete idiots and I'd rather not have to go with them at all.

"Damn, I hate waking up early..." I mumbled as I changed my clothes and put a toaster waffle in the toaster, waiting for it to pop. Meanwhile, I finished packing my bag with leisure items, such as mangas and books and my DS.

_Pop!_

I grabbed the waffle, along with my bags, and left the room towards the train station.

- : - : - : - : - : -

On the train, everyone was all happy and playing around and talking and being their cheerful selves as normal.

Since group six had only me, Setsuna, and Zazie (who, by the way, stayed away from me when I got near her), Negi-Sensei split us up among the other five. I was put into group two, which had Misora, Kaede, Ku Fei, Chao, Hakase, Satsuki, and now me.

I sat a bit away from most of the class in a window seat, reading one of the manga I packed with me. It had just come out the day before I came to Japan, and I haven't had time to read it yet. I was about halfway through when I heard someone call my name.

"Aer! Why are you all the way over here? Shouldn't you be with your group or the class?" I peered over the top of my book to see Negi-Sensei walking down the aisle to the row I was sitting at. He was probably wondering why I wasn't with the other girls. "Shouldn't you be having fun with some of the students?"

I replied, "It's okay, Negi-Sensei. I'm used to just being by myself and reading or doodling pictures." Smiling, I tried to get the point across that I'd rather not hang around with some of the idiots in the class.

"I-I guess so... Still though..." He muttered before walking off to go play games with some of the other students. I wasn't in the mood to read this series anymore, and stowed it back in my bag. Pulling out an old, worn-out book, I started flipping through a few of the pages until I came across a certain one. The text and picture of a hexagram were zoning in and out of the pages, sometimes shifting languages. Currently, it was in modern-day English, and the picture looked just like the one the ermine drew. _Odd..._ I thought to myself, squinting to see what the words read. _This thing doesn't mention the word Pactio or something related to it..._ Closing the book and putting it underneath everything in the bag, I sighed, and knew that I needed to do _that_ soon...

- : - : - : - : - : -

The bullet train stopped around one o'clock in the Kyoto Station, and we all got off of the train. Some of the girls that liked Negi-Sensei tried to get him to sight-see around with them (and maybe not _just_ sight-see...if you get my drift...). I don't know how they could like a ten-year-old, not one bit. _Still, I keep thinking about the Pactio thingy..._

After the train filled up with a new set of passengers and we were all out and in Kyoto, we went over to the Kiyomizu Temple, a place called 'the Love Stone,' and the Otowa Waterfall. Everyone wanted to drink the water that improved their love life, but nothing obvious had happened. Someone muttered that the effect would happen sometime later.

We were all going to go to the hotel where we would be staying at for the trip, where I knew things were going to get a _lot_ worse.

- : - : - : - : - : -

In the room group two was staying in, I was sleeping on the couch because of the lack of floor space. I preferred this rather than sleeping on the floor 'cause I normally had something cushiony under me like a mattress when I slept. It was slightly uncomfortable, but it wasn't too bad.

_Last night was okay, I guess—all the girls were all excited and stuff 'bout the trip that they didn't make too much noise for Nitsuta to yell at them more than three times or so._ Sighing, I put my laptop on sleep mode, got off of the couch that was next to the window, and walked over to the door. I exited the room, hearing some voices coming from the door to the right. Curious, I went over to the door, and put my ear on it so I could hear what the people inside were saying.

"...and that's exactly how I'm going to do this..." The voice sounded really familiar, but it was a bit hard to remember who exactly it was. "I've already drawn a hexagram around the whole place so anyone who kisses Aniki will create a Pactio with him! And I'll get some more money, heh heh heh..."

_Ah, that's right! That's the weird weasel-animal that Negi-Sensei had. _Remembering this, I got a shock down my spine, thinking of the Pactio me and Negi-Sensei did a little while ago. _I can't be thinking of that at a time like this! Besides, if that weasel's going to do something weird tonight, I should probably tell Negi-Sensei!_

I went down the hall where Negi-Sensei's room should be. After knocking, no one came to the door, so I took the liberty of going in.

"Negi-Sensei?" I said, opening the door and entering the room. There was no one in here, which I thought was strange. "Maybe he's nearby somewhere... He couldn't have left the hotel's premises since he's a teacher."

Going down to the lobby, I overheard a conversation that made me stay behind a wall so no one in the small area could see me. I couldn't tell who the voices were exactly, but I knew it was Negi-Sensei talking to someone. His voice was getting louder, so he was coming this way. _I'd better get back to my room before he thinks I was spying on him_, I thought.

- : - : - : - : - : -

It was around eleven at night when I heard more commotion outside my room. It was obvious that some of the kids in my class were getting all excited over something. As my curiosity got to me, I went over to the door and heard what they were saying.

"...and so, the game shall begin in half an hour!" A voice said from each room via television. This was the same voice that was talking to himself earlier in an empty room. _Game...?_ I wondered. "Everyone, get with a partner and tell me within fifteen minutes! All the people not playing can bet on the team they think will win! Now, go and get a teammate!" Girls were cheering, and then rushing out of their rooms to find someone to partner up with. _Probably another stupid game involving Negi-Sensei again... __Well, I guess that I'm probably going to be at the wrong place at the wrong time (meaning I'm going to end up teaming up with some Negi-Sensei-crazed student on this unfortunate field trip)._

Unfortunately, I happened to be at the right place at the right time.

- : - : - : - : - : -

Earlier, I was on Mahoo Instant Messenger, talking to myself since no one was on. I went back to the computer to resume my boredom. To my surprise, I had an instant message. It read;

_(11:02pm) __Paapuru__Chou.0510: As you have probably heard, there is a game going on tonight in half an hour. I am asking you to be my teammate, and I would be happy if you said 'yes.' However, you do not have to accompany me if you do not want to. __If you do, on the other hand, I will be waiting in the lobby near the potted plants (and hopefully) I'll see you there._

"_PaapuruChou.0510_? Who's that person? I've never given out my e-mail address to anyone but Negi-Sensei (well, not technically, but you get the point). I guess I'll head down there and see who it is..."

_**Ten Minutes Later...**_

"Wh-what!' I exclaimed in the lobby. "It was...it was _you_ who sent me the message!?"

- : - : - : - : - : -

"And now begins the game you girls have all been waiting for! 'Lip Scramble! Operation: Kiss Negi-Kun Passionately on the School Trip' will now commence! I hope you all have place your bets on who you think will kiss 3-A's adorable teacher first! If you haven't, last minute bets will be taken in the next five minutes in room 206!" The person broadcasting was someone in my class. Asakura Kazumii. She was hosting the televised program she created, broadcasting it to any student's room for only 500¥. The only thing I wondered is how she was able to broadcast this if the weasel was the one that, I'm assuming, created it.

"In case you've forgotten, here are the teams that signed up to play!" A message was sent to the televisions that read off the team and player's names.

_Team 1— Ayaka Yukihiro and Makie Sasaki  
__Team 2— Yuna Akashi and Ku Fei  
__Team 3— Fuuka Narutaki and Fumika Narutaki  
__Team 4— Konoka Konoe and Setsuna Sakurazaki  
__Team 5— Nodoka Miyazaki and Aer Hazumii_

I was asked by the quiet library girl, Nodoka Miyazaki, to help her out and play this game. Although, I don't know why she didn't pick Yue Ayase... _I guess I'd better help her out_, I thought, looking over at Miyazaki. She seemed really nervous, but I guess she really wants to kiss Negi-Sensei.

The clock in the room where the contestants were at read '11:29,' the second hand close to the twelve. Once it ticked off eleven thirty, teams one and three left the door first. Kazumii had broadcast that Negi-Sensei was not in his room, but was secretly put into another room so the teams would need to search for him while battling the other opponents with pillows.

_Looks like I'd better just find Negi-Sensei quickly and get this game over with..._

- : - : - : - : - : -

Miyazaki and I were on the first floor of the hotel. Knowing that Negi-Sensei would not be in his room, we decided to search the bottom-up. Currently, we were hiding behind the potted plants so Nitsuta wouldn't see us. I remembered that if he did, we would have to do the sieza in the lobby 'till morning. _I can't do the sieza for five damn minutes, anyways._ I thought, walking out after the teacher left.

The two of us searched the rest of the first floor and were beginning our ascend to the second when we heard that a battle was underway. A pillow flew from above the staircase, nearly hitting us. I saw that Makie was practically no match to Ku Fei and Yuna. _Wonder where Ayaka ran off to..._

"Maybe we should go up a different stairs," I said to Miyazaki, who agreed with me when another pillow flew from out of nowhere and hit her in the face. We went to the stairs on the opposite side of the building, glad that no other team was there.

"You check that room over there, Nodoka," I said, pointing to one of the rooms. "I'll check out this one." We did this for half of the rooms on the floor with no luck.

_He's probably somewhere the students wouldn't think of looking..._ I thought, exiting a room. _Knowing the weasel and Kazumii were up to this, he'd probably be—_ Cut mid-thought, a pillow flew out and whacked me out of surprise. I looked up to see the twins in ninja suits, pillows at the ready. Fumika, the younger twin, had a freighted look on her face, and was probably forced into the game by her sister.

"Even though we wouldn't want to hurt the new girl, if you're after Negi-Kun's lips then we have to!" The older twin, Fuuka, said, throwing another pillow at my head. Dodging it, I grabbed Miyazaki's arm (she was standing off to the side) and ran up a flight of stairs about twenty meters away. I dodged a few more pillows along the way, a couple of them from Ayaka who was farther down the hall, beginning to get into a fight with the twins. She was screaming something like 'Negi-Kun is MINE!!!'

- : - : - : - : - : -

We were up on the third floor hallway, where all the students not playing the game were watching it on T.V in their rooms. I was surprised that no one had come up here, though I could here Nitsuta's voice below and the other few teams running anywhere to avoid doing seiza.

Looking down the hall, I tried to remember where _that_ room was. I knew that Negi-Sensei would be in _that_ room. _Buncha idiots down there trying to kill each other for a stupid kiss! I couldn't believe people would go through so much to kiss a ten-year-old boy...that was also their teacher!_

I then remembered that Nodoka was slumped against the wall next to me. She probably never had to run that fast, or was hit with so many pillows. Nodoka Miyazaki...she was a lot different than most girls in the class...

_**Flashback...**_

"_Wh-what!?" I exclaimed. "It was...it was _you_ who sent me the message!?" I saw Nodoka Miyazaki standing next to a couple of potted plants. Her face was a bit red, having to talk to me about a game where you kiss Negi-Sensei. _

"_...yes." She replied in a soft voice. "My username on Mahoo is 'PaapuruChou.0510.' 'Purple Butterfly' and my birthday." She paused a bit. "I was wondering if...you would...consider being my...erm...teammate for the game Asakura-San is planning. I mean; y-you don't have to say 'yes' or anything, i-i-it's just that I, well..." She looked up at me with her purple eyes. I could tell she was trying to pull out courage to tell the new student something so personal._

"_Yes." I said._

"_Wh-what?" She said, confused._

"_It's gotta take a lot of courage to ask someone you've known for a short time to play a game about, well, love, I guess. I mean, it's just odd for you to be asking me instead of Ayase or Saotome." I looked up towards the ceiling. "Y'see. If I were you, I probably wouldn't ask someone like you or any other girl to be my teammate in such a silly game. But you're different. And that's why I'm going to help you." I smiled._

"_Th-thank you, but...I..." Miyazaki averted her gazed down towards the plants. "I'm not like Iincho-San. She loves Negi-Kun because she's...always been weird like that. I like him because he's just...he's just different than most men, and even though he could be down in the dumps, he'd still look forward at his goals." She looked back up to me. "I like that about him. That's why."_

_I smiled again. "Just one question—how'd you know my e-mail address? I've never told it to anyone..."_

"_I asked Negi-Kun if he knew it, and he gave it to me." She smiled one of the most cheerful smiles I've ever seen. And I knew that being here wouldn't be _too_ bad._

Miyazaki got up after a little while, and I lead the way to _that_ room. We were almost there, only two doorways away, when I heard footsteps coming up the staircases we just came from. I turned to see that team four, Konoe and Sakurazaki, were coming up, getting barraged from pillows below.

"I'll protect you, Ojou-Sama!" The black-haired said, moving in front of the other girl. She used some really cool-looking technique with a pillow to make whoever was below run away. "That'll teach you to mess with Ojou-Sama," She said in more of a whisper.

"Set-Chan!" Konoe cried. "Stop using 'Ojou-Sama' on me! How many times have I told you to say 'Kono-Chan'?" _Ouch!_ I thought.

"I'm sorry Kono-Ch—" Sakurazaki started when she turned to see me and Miyazaki. She grabbed one of the pillows on the floor and ran at us, maybe embarassed. We screamed, and ran into separate rooms. I heard the pillow crash into the nearby wall—not a nice sound either. _Damn! Sounded like that pillow broke a wall! Look's like someone's busted..._ I gave a small giggle, then looked up to see whose room I was in. Unfortunately, I wished that Nodoka would've followed me in here 'cause it was _that_ room.

_Negi-Sensei's room. _

_And there he is; lying down as if he didn't know what was happening._ I turned back to the door to get Nodoka in here and kiss him. Looking out the door, I saw the too leave downstairs already, and ran the the room parallel to this one to fetch Nodoka. I knocked. "Miyazaki-San," I whispered. "I know where Negi-Sensei is." As soon as I mumbled that, the door flew opened and out came the purple-haired girl, wondering where the child teacher was. "Follow me."

Looking side to side again to make sure no one was here, I rushed into the slightly-opened door across the hall, and shut it, locking it as well. Miyazaki slowly walked over to where Negi-Sensei was laying on the floor. I walked over to them and sat down nearby. A tea kettle was placed on the other side of him; there was a cup of what I assumed to be tea next to Negi-Sensei's outstretched arm. The liquid was poured out and onto the carpet. _Tea?_ I thought. Odd... Negi-Sensei loves his tea very much that he would've put it carefully on the table after drinking it—not next to him on the floor. _Weird._

Miyazaki, bent down over the sleeping teacher, and I could see red beginning to grow on her cheeks. She's wanted to do this since when he first came to teach her, our, class, and now she has the chance to. Maybe she's nervous about taking advantage of him like this...?

But I was wrong.

The twenty-seventh student in class 3-A was courageous enough to (although it seems weird) kiss her ten-year-old teacher while he was asleep during a game that was created to forcefully create Pactio cards. Once their lips met, a faint purple light emitted from Negi-Sensei's body. 'PACTIO!' I imagined the ferret-weasel-thing saying from the room he was in.

Approximatly ten to fifteen seconds passed by until Miyazaki stopped, and her face was entirely flushed tomato-red. She looked over in my direction and smiled, surprised, and excited, that she was finally able to kiss Negi-Sensei. I could tell this becuase after she looked at me, she fainted on the floor next to the child teacher. _Guess she was that happy,_ I thought._ The only thing I don't understand, though--_ I walked over to the other side of Negi-Sensei, and bent down where the kettle was. _--is how come he's asleep and _still_ asleep right now..._

Miyazaki departed from Negi-Sensei's lips, and, after doing so, smiled at me as if saying 'thank-you', but too breathless to speak. And...then she fell unconcious, so surprised that she had finally kissed him, that she didn't realize it 'till now. I decided to let her sleep--this was prob'ly the best, or second best, day of her life.

Then, as if that never happened, I went back to pondering my question. _The only odd item is the kettle..._ I picked it up, and found a small amount of tea left. But it didn't seem...ordinary. Looking at it more precisely, I noticed something. _The tea has a slight magical aura around it. _I observed the pot closely, just to see what Negi-Sensei _really_ drank.

"No way!" I said, standing up, my foot hitting Negi-Sensei's forearm on the way up. "This tea... It's not tea, well sort of, but there's some bits of a sleep and a love potion in it!" Then I remembered. When I went down to the lobby a bit earlier and overheard him talking to someone. It was Chamo! He was saying something about tea and I could tell Negi-Sensei was really excited. The weasel must've ordered a sleep and love potion online and mixed it with Negi-Sensei's favorite type—Earl Grey—and gave it too him. He took a few sips and the potions made it like alcohol that he wanted more. He drank so much of it that the sleep potion kicked in quicker and now he's fast asleep.

"But...the love potion... Why would it be in there...?"

"...Urm...Aer? Is that you?" I looked down to see that Negi-Sensei was awake. He was looking at me funny—his eyes weren't the same ol' chocolate brown that he had. They were a bit distorted. Then, it hit me (again). _Crap! The love potion is there because whoever would've found him first would wake him up to kiss him, or wake him up kissing him (which was odd because Miyazaki didn't...). And just like that one fanfiction I read a looong time ago..._

Negi-Sensei got up from the floor, the top of his head reached the height of my nose (was I _that_ short?). He was walking closer, I walking backwards. "Uh...Negi-Sensei...?" I hit the door, and knew I might be in trouble... "N-Negi...Sen...sei..."

- : - : - : - : - : -

"Damn it, Sensei!" I yelled. "Why did you even drink that damn tea anyways!?"

The teacher felt ashamed of what happened earlier. His head was low, and he knew he was guilty for doing something so stupid! "I'm sorry Aer! It's just that, earlier, Chamo-Kun cornered and threatened me in the lobby. He said that he was going to post up images that he secretly took on the internet. I said I would agree to whatever that he wanted, and all that he said was to stay in my room and enjoy some fresh tea he would bring."I paused for a moment. "I thought it was weird, but I said 'sure.' So Chamo-Kun came and brought me tea. I drank it, then I remember being in my room a little while later with you..."

"Yeah, well, sorry 'bout what I did to you, though I doubt you'd remember it... Oh, and next time, you shouldn't trust that conniving weasel of yours!"

"Um...he's an ermine."

"Whatever!" I left the room and proceeded down to the lobby. Halfway down, I remembered that everyone in teams 1-4 got caught and had to do the seiza. Miyazaki was still in Negi-Sensei's room, so she was safe. I then decided to head through the back door outside. After out of the building, a cool breeze passed by. Clouds were overhead, but not many though.

I walked over and sat on a bench, letting my head hang over the edge. _Damn it, _I thought, closing my eyes. _How could that have happened..._

_**Flashback...**_

"_N-Negi...Sen...sei..." I spurted out; trying to squirm out of that very odd situation I had landed in. I'd have to admit that even though I'd rather be in the lobby doing the seiza, my heart was just beating really fast. I could even feel my face blushing a lot. Damn teenage stuff, I guess..._

"_Aer..." Negi-Sensei said in a calm tone, less childish than normally. "Did you know that your eyes have a wonderful shade a blue?" _What the hell!?_ I thought, hoping that someone would rush in to get Negi-Sensei away from me. Of course, my luck isn't too good, as I might've said before..._

"_L-listen, Negi-Sensei... Erm, you need to snap out of it. I mean, it's an average love potion and you should be able to get out of the hypnotic trance it put you in but...but..." But nothing. Me talking was as good as trying to get the power to become invisible forever. Like talking to the wind. _

_He moved his body backwards, trying to get in a more 'comfortable' position, when I saw my chance to escape. The window on the opposite side was open slightly, and it would be all or nothing. I leapt around Negi-Sensei, and ran to the window as fast as I could. Albeit, I might not come out scotch-free, but a broken bone won't hurt--I could probably fix it._

_Then, the window closed all of a sudden, and I turned to see Negi-Sensei standing there, trying to keep me from escaping. _Damn, how the hell am I supposed to last like this for whom-knows how long...?_ "Are you trying to...to escape, Aer?" He said, his eyes were practically holes because whatever he was doing was not the original Negi-Sensei everyone in 3-A knows._

_Out of nowhere, the thought struck me. _It might, well, hurt a bit...but I guess it's worth it._ "Sorry Negi-Sensei..." I whispered, and brought my foot up to the one thing he has that I don't._

_He screamed in pain, falling to the floor and doing whatever it was when ten-year-olds got their private parts kicked. _I said I'm sorry, but it's just too hard to laugh!_ So I did, and he seemed to stay in that position for awhile, until the potion wore off. _

"Man...hope he doesn't feel that in the morning..." I closed my eyes and let the wind blow through my blackish-white hair. It wasn't until a few minutes later that I got up and went back inside. I found a vacant room and slept in there until morning. I just didn't want the other girls asking me about the game--I needed some peace and quiet before the next day.

_I just hope that no one else saw that..._ I thought, closing my eyes and letting my dreams take over.

- : - : - : - : - : -

Author's Note: Sorry this update has taken FOREVER, but you can't blame me...blame my school...and me for being a procrastinator... Oh, wow...chapter five is already done...and it's probably more than twice as long as one of my normal chapters I wrote for this fic...

Well, I had changed a lot of things to this fanfic from when I first wrote it to when I published it. This is supposed to be chapter six, and chapter five was moreorless gotten rid of. In my mind, Aer was sort of 'transported' to the world of Negima and stuff, but now, she lives in Negima, and the entire storyline has changed. Still, who know what else I have in store... Oh, and I kept Nodoka kissing Negi during the game becuase 1) someone said it would be good to have only Aer and one or two other persons with a Pactio and 2) Nodoka's my favorite character ( :

_Sweet Heavens_ -- Thanks, and I don't think I've seen one either. ( :

_Koukaze_ -- "Sorry, the program you are searching for is unavalible. Please check the URL and try again."

_Hourou shunketsu_ -- Thanks for the reviews, and you're not the only one telling me to make chapters longer... (glares at the other reviewers)

_Eternal-Longing_ -- Once again, your reviews have ups and downs... Must you keep criticizing about every little thing I write? Sheesh! ...well, I'll try to fix somethings later, okay?

My school started the 21st, so I won't have updates that frequent anymore. Till the next chapter, good-bye!


	6. VI: Black Mail!

**Chapter VII  
**_**Blackmail Meets Aer-mail**_

My eyes opened to see the darkness of the room. Bits of sunlight tried to get in through a crack in the blinds covering the window to my left. The floor was hard and cold, and I wished that this room would've had a couch like the other rooms, or at least a blanket 'cause there must've been a small crack in the window that let in a chilly breeze during my sleep.

_Wonder what time it is..._ I thought, yawning. Getting up off the floor, I walked over to the door and opened it. The hallway was unusually quiet, but black as well. I used a spell to allow me to see in the dark, and found the room I was supposed to be sleeping in. I opened the door slowly, and entered the room. Everyone else was asleep on the floor, either in front of the T.V, or up against the parallel wall. I shut the door and tip-toed my way to the couch, almost tripping over my laptop that was laid down next to it.

"Huh?" I whispered softly, not wanting to awake anyone. "My laptop's still on. Maybe I forgot to shut it off before I played that game—" A shiver went down my spine, remembering what I had gone through earlier. I shook my head to get rid of the thoughts.

_That thing will probably haunt me one day...sooner or later..._ I thought, taking my computer out of sleep mode. Surprisingly, it was only 4:20 in the morning, so I haven't been out long.

Then, I noticed I had a program running that was minimized to show my desktop—a picture of my brother and I after we graduated from the magic academy. We were both smiling and that was probably one of our happiest days. A slight smile came to my face. _Never mind that picture. I should see what I had running..._

I moved the cursor to the bottom and clicked on the bar. A conversation page opened up from someone called 'OkojoPaantiiIro.' It said this;

(3:53am) Okojo-Paantii-Iro: Aer Hazumii. I have definite proof of what happened earlier between Negi Springfield and you. I have attached a copy of the video below, and unless you follow my instructions _clearly_, then I might 'accidentally' send the video to every student in your class. (Including the teacher) Reply to this message before dawn, unless you want to flee from this country back to where you transferred from.

(3:55am) Okojo-Paantii-Iro would like to share the following file with you: DSCN1222. Accept or Decline

I hovered my mouse over the 'decline' button, but I was afraid of what this guy caught on video so I clicked on 'accept.' The file downloaded to my computer in a few seconds. A box opened up, automatically starting the video. To my horror, it was exactly what happened from when Negi-Sensei woke up, to right before I kicked him. Text flashed for half a second, and then the video ended. I stopped it right when the flash of words showed up. They read; _A Teacher / Student Realationship! Aer Hazumii and Negi Springfield._

"What the hell is this!?" I whispered, trying my best not to shout. "Who the hell would want to have blackmailed me? (And what's up with the username?)" Calming myself down, I clicked on the box to type a message to this person. I wrote only one thing.

(4:25am) LunarMageAer: ...k, Ill do it

- : - : - : - : - : -

Everyone was awake and ready for the next day, more or less because we were able to free roam Kyoto from nine in the morning 'till five in the evening. During breakfast, Nodoka had surprised lots of students because she asked Negi-Sensei to free roam with her and he said 'yes.'

Not only was Miyazaki with Negi-Sensei, but there was also me and group five, consisting of Kagurazaka, Konoe, Sakurazaki, Ayase, and Saotome. Everyone seemed all happy to be able to be with Negi-Sensei as a group, and I noticed some other girls glaring at us when we walked by.

We first went to a small shopping district with many little souvenirs and paraphernalia. I bought a small little carving of an owl perched on top of a tree branch. I don't know why, but I like little statues of owls... Some other things bought were necklaces and bracelets, other sculptures of animals such as seahorses and squirrels, and Negi-Sensei bought a copy of an old manuscript of Kyoto's many famous myths and folklore.

Then, we went to a game area that had an arcade which, to my surprise, was relatively empty. We had loads of fun, some of the games were arcade fighting and whatnot, a game where you step on arrows on a pad and dance to music, and I beat everyone at air hockey (I love that game!)

It was nearing noon, and we then stopped off at the main food area where plenty of other people were already eating lunch. The eight of us scattered around to go and eat whatever it was that we were in the mood for. I was in line behind Saotome for the burger shop, and she could not stop _talking_! I mean, she says the weirdest things, and once proclaimed that the 'stench of love' was around me. _What. A. Psycho._ I thought, placing my order at the register. _Maybe I can stay away from her for the rest of the day. Highly doubt it though..._

The man at the register handed me my food—a plain cheeseburger, some fries, and a small soda—and I went over to where most of my group was already. The sun, which happened to be right above us, was burning, but the wind was blowing at least. The eight of us ate and talked for about a half hour, then began our roaming again to the other half of the city. I was just about to return with my friends from the bathroom when my phone vibrated. "Who could that be...?" I muttered, pulling out my cell. It was silver and a light shade of blue, with a picture of a few of my friends slapped on the front cover. The phone did not register the caller as someone from m phone book, but instead read '555-555-5555.' _What kind of number is that...?_ ((I've gotten that number before, though)) Flipping open the top, I clicked on 'accept' and answered the call. "Hello?"

"Did you do it yet?" I heard a familiar voice emerge from the speaker end. Shocked, I shook my head 'no', but remembered that they couldn't see me.

"No."

"Damn, I knew you wouldn't have the guts to. Well, if you want to see that video all over the web, I can arrange that..."

"No! Besides, you just said the students on MIM!"

"Well..." The voice replied, pausing dramatically. "...how would I be able to show them rather than posting the video on WeTube?" I gulped. "Exactly. You have until the free roaming is over. Ciao." –Beep- The call ended, and I stood like an idiot near the bathroom exit. Staring out of the door, I noticed that the rest of the group was waiting under a giant oak tree, talking. I looked at Negi-Sensei, and my hand holding my phone got clammy.

_I just...can't do it..._

- : - : - : - : -

Author's Note: First off, sorry this is short, but I think it's ideal after a long one! Anyways, this is, moreorless, Tikigod784's idea that he gave in a review from chapter 1. I thank him (hoping it's a 'him') for their idea.

Anyways, I couldn't really think of a way to write the transition from the end of the Kyoto trip to them going back to Tokyo. I didn't want another whole shenanigan like the manga, though. Maybe I should've...? Anyways, after the blackmail, they'll be back in Japan.

_Tikigod784_ -- Hm...that would be a good idea, but I don't think it'll fit in... And, everyone rambles. That's why my author notes are their own seperate stories.

_The Ansem Man_ -- Really, just by who reads it? And, I like that I italicize becuase it seperates the main thoughts and the descriptions and speaking parts.

_Hydriatus_ -- Thanks, and I wonder too... :) Anyways, it was the best, comical way I could think of the storyline going along. (if you want, I could mention your OC...I might have a good way to fit him in...maybe...)

OH! I need help. Let's say, hypothetically, you were able to write what the thing Aer had to do was. What would it be? (In case you couldn't tell, I have no idea what I'm making her do, so ideas please!)


	7. VII: How Embarassing

**Chapter VIII**

_**The Word 'Embarrassed' Means...**_

The sun above was shining warm rays of light, while a light wind blew through our hair every few minutes. To anyone else, this might be a great day to go shopping or visit somewhere or even to simply hang out. That would be the case with me, if this accursed black cloud wasn't looming over my head.

_What am I going to do?_ I thought to myself, a few paces behind the rest of my group. Knowing that we would be leaving in two days back to Mahora brought down some of the other students' spirits, but it raised mine. In fact, ever since I arrived in Japan, it's been nothing but trouble. _And then there's _that_ to deal with..._ The voice from my conversation earlier kept ringing in my ears. 'Did you do it yet?' '...if you want to see that video all over the web...'

"Aer, are you all right?" Looking up, I saw the rest of my group stare at me like I was a snail. I wasn't, I just had things on my mind.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." I caught up with them, and we turned a corner. There, my eyes widened in amazement. It was the biggest bookstore I had ever seen. Albeit, I couldn't read the name of it, 'Burnes and something-rather', but it was a three-floored book paradise. And I simply loved books. Plus, there was even a Starbooks right next door—we could stay here _forever_.

All of us jolted to the buildings, getting in the short-ish line to order our (un)caffeinated drinks. It took maybe five minutes, but I was happy with my double chocolate-chip Frappuccino. Wallets in hand, everyone, even Asuna who've I've come to know to not like books, ran inside. I think she's just here 'cause of the _non_-book related stuff.

I ran up to the third floor and looked through all the manga. They were in Japanese, but I think I could read enough to know what's going on. If it wasn't for the blackmail, it might've been the best day I've had in a long time.

- : - : - : - : - : -

Maybe it was the drinks we ordered, but we were in and out of the bookstore in, I'd give or take, an hour or so. That's short, compared to what I sometimes take.

We were carrying bags of books and non-book items, and we would devour the pages once we got back to the hotel. It was almost three, and someone had to use the restroom 'cause they drank three large, coffee-filled drinks. I didn't remember the names, but Asuna probably had an overtake of beverage for one day. The rest of us sat at the tables inside the Starbooks, chatting away. I was a bit through on of my graphic novels when I heard a voice.

'Do it now! It's the perfect opportunity!' Startled, I looked around for their voice but saw no one suspicious. The way the voice sounded was just plain odd. 'C'mon!' There it was again! I could've sworn it was coming from inside my head, but that's absurd. No one can communicate telepathically, unless—

I stopped, forgetting a biggie in magic. Of course _they_ could've talked to me like this 'cause of _that._ Truly, I wished I could've been somewhere else, but the opportune moment occurred.

"I've gotta go." Negi-Sensei said, walking away from the tables and over to the bathrooms. The two uni ones were occupied, so he waited, doing a little 'pee-pee' dance little kids would do. We laughed at it, and he didn't seem to notice.

'NOW!' The voice barked inside my head. Looking over at the other girls—who were talking amongst each other or reading their own merchandise—I then looked over at Negi-Sensei, my face heating up. 'Do it, 'else I'm gonna put the video up...' The voice taunted. I gulped, and, hesitating, got up and headed over to the restroom area. Just my luck; a man walked out of the furthest bathroom, taking the longest time ever. Right before Negi-Sensei was able to fully enter and close the door, I snuck inside.

It was actually pretty big since it was really empty; a single toilet, a sink with soap dispenser and those automatic paper dispensers, a trashcan, and no mirror. The walls were patterned with light-blue and white tiles, and so was the floor. I don't think he saw me, but I turned my back when I heard the zipper pulled down. 'Good, good.' The voice murmured hypnotically in my head. 'Just as I said earlier, and if you don't do it, my finger just might accidentally click on 'upload.'' The only thing I didn't understand was how they knew what I was doing when they weren't in here.

Currently, if you could see my face, it would be red. And not just a pale red; a deep red. I felt so embarrassed, yet, I'd rather not let everyone know what happened earlier. _Maybe this is stupider..._ I thought to myself, thinking it was already too late.

Once the, erm, 'stream of external liquidal waste' sound was over, I tip-toed to a corner where I wouldn't be seen yet. The toilet flushed, and he washed his hands—with soap, thank goodness—when I knew it was time to do _it._ 'Go; this is the perfect moment. GO!' And so I did. After Negi-Sensei finished washing his hands, I—

_Anweledyn,_ I muttered, turning myself invisible. He probably heard something and spun around to see nothing there. Shrugging, he got a paper towel to dry his hands, threw it away, and was about to open the door when I grabbed his shoulder. He let out a yelp which was cut off from me covering his mouth with my other hand. I undid the spell, and Negi-Sensei's eyes widened to see me here, asking it in his look. "I'm really, _really_, sorry 'bout this..." And doing as the blackmailer said, I—_can't believe I'm actually doing this, but—here goes nothing_...

- : - : - : - : - : -

'_Shit!_' I typed onto my lap top furiously, along with a few other things. This was something I sparsely wrote in, sort of like a journal. Now, however, was a time when I was really pissed at myself and heck lot embarrassed. The computer screen said this;

'_Damn, I can't believe I was such an IDIOT!!!! I should've known that he was gonna do it, that bastard. GAH! Well, I played this stupid game last night where we have to go around and find our teacher and be the first one to kiss him first, right? And something else went wrong when me and my partner went there and the bastard taped it all! Ya, so, today we could walk around the town and stuff by ourselves, and me and my group and the teacher went and we had fun until the bastard reminded me on my cell phone (I still don't know how the hell he got my number, though!) So, we went to the Starbooks and a bookstore and when someone in our group had to go to the bathroom we went to the one in Starbooks. It was going OK 'till the voice of said bastard-o was in my head and then I had to do it._

'_What was it, you ask? The worst thing ever. Period. Worse than that game earlier. I don't want to go into detail 'cause my face turns red when I think about it—it's freaking red right now. 'Kay, so, I had to kiss him, which I did way in the beginning, but I also had to—crap, it's hard to type this. My fingers are shaking like crazy. But in basics, I had to, well, move my hand down and, erm, do things down there. Shit, it's so embarrassing! Gosh, I'm so gonna kill Chamo the next time I see that perverted, bastard-ed, weasel!_

'_(sigh) Well, what's done is done, right? I was so embarrassed I ran right out of the Starbooks and back here to the hotel. No one else is here, though. But while I was by myself, I wrote this. Don't have a name, but oh well:_

_It has been said that people who cry  
__Are stronger than others, are stronger than I_

_I'd hate to admit it, but even quite so  
__All my feelings of anger, of sorrow, of woe_

_These feelings towards others, these feelings of pain  
__I keep them inside, I must be insane_

_But behind all this laughter, behind all the cheers  
__Is a girl who is crying, drowning in her tears_

_My friends all share how they think and they feel  
__Their thoughts of another which I try to conceal_

_While time continues to float on, day after day  
__And the years go by, and we all move away_

_Every one of my emotions and thoughts stirring are still  
__Cooped up inside me; cooped up from the world.'_

After I finshed typing the poem, I heard voices from students outside. It was nearly five, so the rest of them should be coming back. Looking out the window by the sofa, I saw that it was my group, all cheerful like they knew nothing. Except, Negi-Sensei had his head down. 'd feel the same way if I were him, but I'm not.

I then remembered something. "Gotta ask him 'bout the Pactio card..."

- : - : - : - : - : -

Author's Note: First, sorry this chapter took so long to write! I couldn't think of an idea till a few days ago. Second, I know that the ending isn't the best, but it was hard to write this chapter 'cause of _that_... :)

_Hydriatus_ -- Yes, blackmail can be really fun...unless if you're the character in the story... And I'll try to mention Luke in some way.

_The Ansem Man_ -- Yeah, I don't think the rope and tape idea's gonna work O.O

_Runekn_ -- Well, now you know what she had to do. Satisfied?

Anyways, I'll try to write the next chapter faster. (I bet if Aer were here, she'd kill me really badly...don't wanna think about that...)


	8. VIII: Aer's Revenge

**Chapter VIII  
**_**Revenge**_

Morning came far too quickly for most—the students of Mahora would be leaving back to their school in the afternoon. Some of the girls got up early to do last minute things. Some girls just wanted to sleep in 'till they had to go back to classrooms and homework and cramming for tests. All but one felt like this today.

I couldn't fall asleep; my eyes wouldn't let me even though I was so tired. I hadn't gotten much sleep since we got here a few days ago. All of the events since I came to Japan—that weird blackout and fight, the book I found in the library, and even the unforgettable events that happened here—I was filled with happiness. In fact, I had nearly forgotten why I came here until last night, lying on the sofa awake. My smile, even from the Starbooks ordeal, vanished. My brother back in Wales...it couldn't wait; I needed to act now before anything bad happens.

_Don't worry—I'll be right there..._

- : - : - : - : - : -

"Ohayou!" "Ohayou gozimasu!" The girls were loud, a good deal of them packed and already in the dining hall, eating their last meal of the field trip. The students in my class were the more cheerful of the bunch. _Guess nothing can bring 'em down, eh?_ I thought to myself, sitting down at an open seat to eat breakfast.

After breakfast, the students were given an hour to go ahead and free roam, but were expected at the station when the time was up. At least ninety percent of the girls took the opportunity and finished their food, dashing out in the streets of Kyoto. My group asked me if I wanted to come with, but I declined and said there were some things I needed to get done.

Once they were gone, I went back up to the room and pulled out my laptop from my bag and turned it on. The virus scan took a few minutes, but after I saw the green checkmark, I clicked on the internet icon and my screen went immediately white, then opened to Mahoo. I logged in, and saw a few e-mails that were just junk. The good ones were newsletters and stuff I got on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. I wasn't in the mood to read any of them, but rather searched anxiously for a certain one. I couldn't find it.

"Didn't he reply yet?" I said, going to my sent folder. Yup, I sent him the e-mail, but he wasn't replying. It was only two days, but he always checks his e-mail. _Damn, don't tell me anything else happened to him..._ I thought.

Having nothing else to do, I logged myself onto MIM to see if he was on but didn't reply. _Nope—it says he's offline, so—_My train of thought was cut off by a new window opening with a 'ding-dong!' sound. It read;

(10:04am) MageTeacherNegi: hi, Aer

Surprised, and just about forgetting what I was doing earlier—I don't know how but I did—I replied, which would probably lead to another loooooong chat.

(10:05am) LunarMageAer: heya, Negi-Sensei. whatcha doing?  
(10:05am) MageTeacherNegi: I was about to ask you the same thing...well, nothing much. I wasn't really in the mood to free roam today.  
(10:05am) LunarMageAer: ya, me neither. especially 'cause of THAT...sorry (sweat)  
(10:06am) MageTeacherNegi: yea  
(10:06am) LunarMageAer: speaking of which, wheres your damned weasel? I gotta get revenge on him...  
(10:06am) MageTeacherNegi: Chamo? I think hes using the computer in my room (I'm in the lobby (sweat)) what happened?  
(10:07am) LunarMageAer: oh, so ur not in your room... okay, I'll have to kill him cuz he was the one who made me do that!  
(10:07am) MageTeacherNegi: really!? why?  
(10:07am) LunarMageAer: its long. gimme a sec.  
(10:10am) LunarMageAer: okays, well, after that game thingy a little while ago, I got back to my room and found a message from this guy named 'OkojiPantiiIro' or sumthing like that, and it said that he had a video of the thingy that happened, though it looked a lot worse 'cause he taped it (I don't know how, though). he said that I had to do whatever he said or else he'd send it to everyone T-T Yeah, so, I said I'll do whatever, and he told me to, erm, do that stuff by the next day when we free roamed. and while we were at Starbooks and the bookstore, I heard his voice inside my mind and he kept saying to do it, blablabla and all that crap. so, I did.  
(10:11am) MageTeacherNegi: oh wow. that's embarrassing...  
(10:12am) LunarMageAer: no KIDDING!  
(10:12am) LunarMageAer: im gonna kill him. wanna help?  
(10:13am) MageTeacherNegi: uh...sure, I guess...  
(10:13am) LunarMageAer: k, meet you by your room.  
_LunarMageAer_ is now offline  
_LunarMageAer_ is now online  
(10:14am) LunarMageAer: WAIT!  
(10:14am) MageTeacherNegi: gah! what?  
(10:15am) LunarMageAer: lol, sorry. do you know anything 'bout a Pactio card...?

- : - : - : - : - : -

_That damn weasel got what he deserved! _I thought to myself, laughing like crazy at the sight.

Negi-Sensei—who was laughing likewise next to me—and I snuck into his room while Chamo was, coincidentally, going to the bathroom. We hid in the closet, our plan already in our minds, and as soon as we heard the flush and the door open, we jumped him and stuffed him in a bag so he couldn't escape. The muffled curses of the magical animal were very...late night...

We kept him in the bag for a little while, not wanting to suffocate him (yet...) and I glanced at his computer. The screen was full of—O_h crap! What a pervert this guy is! Looking at naked ladies...EWW!_ I hurriedly closed the four internet windows, all containing what I was assuming the same perverseness so Negi-Sensei wouldn't see something like that. _Not till you're MUCH older, bub!_

I got out the _things_ from my backpack that appeared out of thin air, while Negi-Sensei held the bag, muttering a few 'sorrys' during the "what the f---" and the "damn you b------".

"Ready yet?" He said, looking over his shoulder, the bag in his outstretched arm like as if the thing inside were to attack him.

"Almost."

"Ready now?"

"I think. Gimme the bag." I took it from his hands and carefully put in small amount laudanum which also appeared in the bag out of nowhere. Just a teensy, tiny bit so he wouldn't get high on the stuff. Once the curses and squirming subsided, I carefully, _very_ carefully opened the bag to see a loopy-version of Chamo. _Maybe a milliliter of this stuff already gets him high,_ I thought, reaching in and pulling out the ermine. He looked all floppy like a piece of fat from a steak or filet Minong, not as he was a minute ago.

After tying him up twice, once with rope and then with a magic string Negi-Sensei conjured, we used glue to tie his butt to a chair, and tied him up once more. He didn't look so bad, just a cute but drunk, perverted ermine...okay, screw the cute part; Chamo could never be called cute.

"You ready?" The kid teacher asked me, handing me my backpack with the final touch to the revenge.

I took the pack and told him to turn around before I reached in it. "Yup. Super-secret-video-camera-that-isn't-so-secret-cause-I-just-said-it secretly ready?" He nodded. "Good." I grinned evilly. "Let it begin."

...And so it did. After, maybe, five to ten minutes, the laudanum wore off and once done so, a shriek of terror, a shriek of confusion, a shriek...of a perverted, tiny white ermine that super-duperly loves naked girls and that's tied up to a chair _and_ has his butt glues was exposed...was exposed...to...to... ... ...yaoi! (DUN DUN DUN!)

We couldn'tstop laughing—the pics and manga I secretly took from Saotome's bag were placed in a spherical shape around the animal, exposing him to the opposite of what he adored. "I...didn't think...it would be...this...funny!" I sputtered out between my laughs. "Now...I think...maybe...we're even!"

- : - : - : - : - : -

The rest of the hour flew by, and soon a few groups of the girls arrived at the hotel with a few minutes left to spare. At least ninety-percent of them were still out, but they should be arriving soon. The sky was clear blue, a wandering cloud floated by every now and then.

Negi-Sensei and I let Chamo go after about twenty or so minutes of the exposure of it. I snuck the yaoi products back into Saotome's bag, then helped Negi-Sensei with Chamo. Though, he started getting really pissed, though after awhile he laughed and said we got him good—after he b-slapped up freakishly hard, though.

It was 10:56 in the morning, a few more groups got back, and I then remembered about it.

"Hey Negi-Sensei, Chamo." They turned to look at me. "Um, well, ya'know 'bout the Pactio we did way back when I got here?" They nodded in unison. "Well, I was wondering. Where's the card?" Chamo grinned evilly, and the humans looked at him.

"Ah, Ane-San, you finally ask about that? Well, I guess I sort of forgot to remind you guys. Anyways, Aniki, here's the real, and Ane, here's a copy. They're the same, so don't worry." I took the second of the cards from the weasel's little paws. I was really shocked to see what was on it.

The first thing I noticed was the picture—I was the focus of the card, garbed in out-of-style looking clothing; I was clad in a medival-looking robe that was tattered and looked like only half of it was there; burgundy-colored shorts and these funny khaki coverings that I didn't know what were called were straped around my shin. The white robe had an emblem of a dragon on the left side of the torso, and the sleeves reached down to my palms. I was carrying my staff, the Staff of the Crescent Moon, and a sword was slung around my belt, unable to be seen. There was also writing on the card; under _tonus_ was _caneum_, under _virtus_ read _sapientia_, under _directio_ read _septentrio_, and under _astralitas_ read _nigrum foramen_.

I was in awe. _I didn't expect these to look so...cool..._

"Wait a second," Negi-Sensei said. "This is cool and all, but I can't read the middle writing... It's not Latin or anything else I recongnize..." Chamo looked at the card the boy was holding and nodded in agreement.

"You're right," the weasel replied. "Ane-San, do you know anything 'bout it?"

For the first time, I looked at the writing in the middle. I hadn't noticed it before, but after they mentioned it I did. "It says 'Moon Mage.'" They were looking at me oddly.

"What...?" Negi-Sensei said, puzzled. "It says, um... Chamo, what does it say?"

The ermine looked at the card again. "It's, um... 'Ma-ter'— Ane-San, what _does_ it say?"

The looked at me again. _They...can't read it...? _"It says 'Ma'aterk Lj'i-namu.' You guys can't read it...?"

Negi-Sensei shook his head, as did Chamo. The animal spoke up. "Erm, Ane-San... Just who are—"

"EVERYONE—GET YOURSELVES OUTSIDE AND READY! WE'LL BE DEPARTING SOON FROM THE TRAIN STATION!" A voice shouted from the hallway.

_Oh crap! The train; I almost forgot!_ "Uh, sorry, but I've gotta get my things packed. BYE!" I ran out the door, leaving the two dumbfounded males behind. They almost knew something that they shouldn't. Not yet, not now.

- : - : - : - : - : -

Author's Note: Before I forget, HAPPY ONE-DAY LATE HALLOWEEN! Okay, now onto my freakishly long A/N. The revenge might not be very revenge-like, but I think it was okay, though maybe another revenge later on...? And as for the mentioning of laudanum, no, I do not take it! I actually remember reading about it in a book I read. (Can that really happen if you're given some...?)

_Tikigod784_ -- Revenge, sweet revenge... First, no, there won't be a whole Konoka-gets-kidnapped fiasco, sorry. And secondly, we created OCs so they _won't_ get a break. : p

_Runekn_ -- Yes, revenge. And then what's Aer gonna do next, hm...? o.O

_Hydriatus _-- Well, molested is such a harsh...accurate word : p lol, and Chamo would've definitly done that in real life. As for the poem...maybe I'll explain it more next chapter.

Ooh...what's gonna happen...!?!? Maybe you'll find out next chapter, maybe not...


	9. IX: You're Busted!

**Chapter IX  
**_**You're Busted!!**_

It was past midday and the sky was cloudy, the air a bit chilly and it felt gloomy. The train arrived at the station around three, almost four, and the students, teachers, and other passengers exited the machine, their belongings in hand. It was a Sunday afternoon in Tokyo, Japan, and yet, the roads and walkways of this area were quite empty. Maybe it was just me—I _was_ a bit psychotic.

I rushed to get out well before most of the pack because I knew these girls were way crazier than I was; and lemme tell you, that's a whole lot of crazy. But it wasn't too bad actually. It took a good ten, maybe fifteen minutes to get from the station to the dorms at Mahora, and our classes didn't have homework so I was glad. I probably would just procrastinate even longer if we had some anyways.

On the flip side of today, I got my Pactio card from Chamo, that bastard of a weasel, and they couldn't even read the fine print! "It says right here, 'Moon Mage,' in clear K—" I paused myself, remembering that not all mages were like _that_ nowadays. In fact, no one even uses those spells, those traditions, or that language. "I guess he's not the same as me after all... 'Ma'aterk Lj'i-namu'..." I re-read the card, gazing idly at the picture of me on it. My white, school uniform robe was altered slightly...my staff and my sword at hand...

Outside, some clouds departed themselves from the sky, letting in more of the sun's light. The air, now brisk and cool, hit my face and swam through my hair every time there was a breeze. Plus, the view from the World Tree was outstanding. I could've just closed my eyes, and drifted away to sleep...

- : - : - : - : - : -

"Aw crap! I can't believe I slept _outside!_" I yelled, rushing to collect my school stuff and materials from my cluttered desk in my room. My clothes were put on messily, pants still under the skirt, yes, and my hair looked like a rat's nest, but I didn't mind. I just couldn't be late today..._again_!

Running out of the door and away from the building, I heard the first bell go off—this told students and teachers it was time to get to class. In five minutes, the tardy bell would go off, and I was well away from school to get there in five minutes.

"Celer terga!" I yelled, and my speed doubled, my vision got blurry, and I wouldn't be la—

_**BAM!**_

Not watching where I was going, I crashed head first into a damn building, falling to the ground, blackening my vision, going to make me absent...

- : - : - : - : - : -

"...ou... ...ay...?" I heard a voice whisper. "... ar... ...ou ...kay...?" It repeated. "...are ...ou okay?" "Aer, are you okay?"

"Hmmwa..." I opened my eyes. The bright white light from the lamp obscured my vision. A dark silhouette could be seen from the edge of my sight. It took a bit of time, but after so, I was able to make out objects. The walls of the room were white-washed and the lamp was directly above me. Other beds, neatly made with white sheets, stood in the room, empty of human beings. A few other furnishings were abroad, like a desk or two, some chairs, and a human; a boy; the teacher of my class; Negi-Sensei.

"Aer, you okay?" He asked worried. I couldn't remember well why, but there was something that I just knew I forgot to do...until I ran into the wall and got knocked unconscious. But why did my head hurt...? "You okay?" Negi-Sensei repeated, still waiting for my response, to which I nodded 'yes.' He sighed in relief and smiled at me. "What about your head?"

_My head...?_ "Uh...what about...my head...?" I asked confused.

The kid teacher looked at me as if I had amnesia. "Well, during nutrition I decided to walk around the campus and I saw you under the World Tree. There was blood on your head and you looked horrible. I took you here to the nurse, and you've been out for an hour, I think." He gave a weary smile. "Do you remember anything?"

"Well," I replied slowly, trying to use all of my brain to remember anything else. _Nope, nothing._ "I ran into a building when I was trying to rush to class." At first, Negi-Sensei's jaw dropped, thinking about one of his students crashing into a wall, then a bit puzzled.

"Why were you rushing to class? You're never late though..."

"Oh yeah—I sort, kinda, might've accidentally fallen asleep under the World Tree and woke up late and had to rush." I sweat-dropped, scratching the back of my head when I felt something there. _Hnh? Bandages? Then something really did happen to me..._

"So that's it Ane-San?" I heard a voice say from somewhere on Negi-Sensei's body. And once again for the hundredth time, Chamo, the damn, perverted weasel, popped out from his pocket and jumped onto the bed. He looked as conniving as ever. "You just slept, woke up, ran into a wall, and ended up here, eh?" I nodded, some of my hair falling to my face—my bangs reached past my chin, but they were always kept up behind my ears or brushed back along with the rest of my hair.

Negi-Sensei cocked his head and looked at the gray clock hanging from the wall, jolting up from his seat. "I'd better be heading back to class." He said. "I'll be back soon when the last class lets out, 'kay?" And with that, he ran out the infirmary doors, leaving me behind with the animal. I almost yelp out 'take me with you' but I didn't.

"Seoo," Chamo began, peering at me with one eye open. "You sure you don't remember squat?" My head bobbed fervently, and he sighed. "Oh well, guess you probably just fell down on a rock and cracked your head open, spilling out all of your brain onto the floor..." _Gross..._ I thought, raising an eyebrow at his weird mind image. "Whatever, but there's something more important I need to discuss with you."

I gulped.

"It's concerning your Pactio card." He said, flashing the one he had in my face. "How come you cane read this mumbo jumbo right here?" Pointing at the words in the center. I just looked around the room, trying to come up with an excuse, but the blood lose and the brain-damage from the crash must've kept me from doing so, so I decided to spill some of the truth, although I was grudging not to...

"Well..." I started slowly, thinking of a truthful lie to tell. "It's a language of mages." Chamo looked at me funny, as if I was 'mistress-of-the-obvious', and ushered me to continue. But I didn't want to, so I pretended to sleep, rested my head back on the pillows keeping my up. It didn't work.

_**SLAP!**_

Right in the face, the weasel slapped me like in those movies were they'd slap each other silly like idiots—although this really hurt. "What the hell!?" I exclaimed, clenching my cheek. _Surprised that little thing could b-slap me so hard..._ I thought.

"Tell the truth!" Chamo yelled looking straight at me.

"I am!" I yelled back.

"No yer not!"

"Yes I am! 'Ma'aterk Lj'i-namu' means 'Moon Mage'! It's the language used by mages at the beginning of _Sastr_, and used by mages now. So I'm telling you the freaking truth!" He looked at me, grinning slightly, until I realized I let a bit of it slip.

"'Language of mages.'" _No dur, I just said that before you slapped me!_ "'_Sastr_'. So is there still something you're not telling me then?" An evil snicker, an evil glare, a devil in disguise.

"Erm, well... I suppose..."

- : - : - : - : - : -

Author's Note: Cliff hanger at the end. What's gonna happen... o.O You'll never know... until next chapter though. Anyways, I'm going to try to get chapter ten up by Thanksgiving, though I doubt it myself. Maybe I'll do it, maybe I'll procrastinate again and not... Who knows...?

_Hydriatus_ -- Thank you, thank you. For the Pactio card, the little one above might be a bit more clearer, if not, then you ARE dim. As for Aer's brother, you'll find out who he is soon.

And, that's it for my author's note. Quite short today...and only one review last chapter!? C'mon peoples, I had like eight on the first chapter, and now one for the ninth one! Gosh, what's wrong with that? (:-p


	10. X: Truthful Coincidence

**Chapter X  
**_**The Truth of Aer's Self**_

The day came and went, and the afternoon was nearing its end. The sky was cloudless all day long, and the class of 3A had returned from their trip to Kyoto just yesterday. Everything was back to its mundane life; everything was normal and as perfect as it could ever be. Well, no, it was opposite of normal and perfect. It was quite horrible for me.

The perverted ermine of Negi-Sensei's had cornered me—figuratively—while I was in the infirmary after running into a building. But seriously, that thing just popped out from nowhere!

"So, what is it that you're not telling me?" The weasel asked, grinning evilly.

I looked over at the clock hanging on the wall. Negi-Sensei would be back soon, and then everything that I was trying to keep secret for at least another week or two would come spilling out like a waterfall. I couldn't, no, shouldn't tell Chamo or Negi-Sensei until I could see his ability—I would've if all these shenanigans didn't occur the minute I arrived. "I've told you all you need to know..." I muttered, averting my gaze from the weasel. It was obvious he was getting ticked at me not telling him the truth, but some things shouldn't be uncovered, right? Although for a persistent weasel, everything needs to be known.

And with the hand on the clock reaching the twelve, I jumped off from the bed, flinging Chamo off from the covers, and began my run to the doors. They seemed farther when I was up, though that didn't stop me; I needed to get to my room soon and act as if this never happened.

The doors grew larger and I could see the sunlight seeping through its cracks. I was almost there, I could hear the weasel shouting and racing after me, and yet, something in the back of my mind hit me. I remembered about Murphy's Law, where anything that can go wrong will. I knew something was going to happen to me, and as I reached out my hand to push the doors open, something hit me in the face. Hard.

_**WHACK!**_

"OW!" I said in pain, clutching my nose and stumbling to the ground. I looked up to see Negi-Sensei behind the door, looking down at me with a 'sorry' expression on my face. The door slammed into my nose, and I was having a horrible day.

"Good one Aniki!" Chamo said, wheezing after trying to catch up to me. He stood in front of me, a tired yet evil expression on his face. "Now...if you'll tell me...everything about everything...that you know, that'd...make things..._easier_..." Negi-Sensei, who was idly standing at the door, entered the infirmary and stared down from me to the weasel.

"What's going on?" He asked.

The weasel turned to look at him. "Ane-San's not telling us everything...and then she ran and up and hit the door an' all."

Still puzzled, the boy teacher asked, "Not telling you everything? What's with that?"

"Apparently," Chamo started, digging through his weasel pockets, though I didn't know he had any. "Ane-San here knows things we don't, and she isn't telling us these things." He looked back up at me. "Once again; what is it that you're not telling me?"

My hand still clutching my nose, I said, "Mf not tellimf vou anyfing elf!" The words came out weirdly, though they could still understand me.

"I'd thought you'd say that..." The ermine said, pulling out a small glass vial that was almost the size of my pinky finger. The liquid was a sickly green color, and it didn't look at all pleasant. "Now if you don't mind, tell us what you haven't already 'else I'm gonna have to slip this liquid in your throat!" I shook my head, frightened at what that stuff could do. "Very well." And with a small ermine leap, Chamo jumped onto my arm, then up to my hand. Somehow, he was able to pry apart my hand to reveal a tiny nook, which he poured in a quarter of the bottle into my mouth. Surprised, I swatted the animal away, but I knew the liquid would've already taken effect.

It tasted both bitter and sour on my tongue, and the stuff seemed to have absorbed themselves onto my tongue, disappearing before I could spit out the concoction. I wasn't sure what it would do, but I was nevertheless afraid.

"Now, before you get thinking I drugged you or slithered poison in you, I didn't (yet). That was simply g_wir diod_." My eyes widened. _'Gwir diod'?! But that means...!_ "Now, what does this say again?" He pulled out the Pactio card of me and pointed to the words in the middle.

"Ma'aterk Lj'i-namu." I said automatically. I knew what was happening, though there wasn't anything I could do but to try and mentally stop myself.

"And that means what, exactly?"

"Moon mage," I replied.

"And what else aren't you telling me?"

"A lot of things." _This isn't good_ I thought.

"Okay, okay." He paused, thinking for a moment. "Why are you here at Mahora, Ane-San?"

"..." I was trying to keep myself to splurting everything out, though it took so much energy from me. "I'm here...'cause I...need...Negi-Sensei's help..." _Damn, now everything's gonna come out. Though...maybe it's better this way...?_

"Chamo-Kun," Negi-Sensei said, interrupting what his weasel was going to say next. "What did you give Aer-San earlier?"

Chamo turned to look at the boy, tsking at him. "You're Welsh yet you don't know what _gwir diod_ means?" He rolled his eyes at the boy. "It means 'truth serum'. I gave her a truth potion so Ane-San can tell us what she isn't already, Aniki."

"But..." Negi-Sensei began. "Isn't it bad to go into someone's private life?"

"Tsk tsk. Aniki, you don't even know who Ane-San is, and you want to keep her life private? Fhn fhn fhn. Besides, she should know nothing can be kept secret." He turned back to look at me. "Now where was I...? Oh yes." He cleared his throat. "Ane-San, you said you needed Aniki's help." I nodded. "Then what help is it?"

"Well, I..." I knew that he would win and I'd lose, so I decided to just give in and tell him the stuff. Though, I'll have to try to keep myself from revealing anything too personal. "...it's...about my brother."

"You're brother?" I nodded. "Didn't know you had one..."

"Neither did I." Negi-Sensei commented.

"Ane-San, why do you Aniki to help yer brother?"

"Because Negi-Sensei is the Thousand Master's son, and he has an extraordinary amount of energy in him. Plus, I wouldn't be able to defeat Yates on my own."

Both the guys raised an eyebrow when I mentioned Yates' name. "Who's Yates?" They both asked in unison.

"Yates is the man who turned our lives upside down, so to speak. Back then, he betrayed our..._father_ and killed him, and nearly killed us as well. In fact, he scarred my brother's heart forever, and there's nothing I was able to do to help him. So I heard Nagi Springfield's son was in Japan, and I came looking for him, though I didn't think he'd be so...small."

"I...see..." Chamo said, looking down at his feet. He was trying to understand everything I said.

"But..." Negi-Sensei began. "Why do you need my help? I'm not really all that powerful like my dad, though—wait, how did you know about my dad?" He looked at me, curiosity on his face.

I sighed, looking at the clock hanging on the wall again. "Well, there's no one else I know that could help me, and Yates isn't a ray of sunshines and lollipops. I _was_ going to test you, but everything that happened since I got her interfered with my plan. About your father...I sort of met him once when he visited the town I live in. Besides, everyone knows him."

"You...knew my dad?" The kid teacher said excitedly. "Was he c—"

"This isn't 'bout yer dad, Aniki!" The weasel butted in. That one line lowered the child's hopes and demolished them like a wrecking ball. "Anyways, why exactly is this Yates guy so bad? I've never heard of him."

_It's wearing off_, I thought, knowing I wouldn't have to forcefully answer their questions anymore. "I'm sorry, Chamo, Negi-Sensei." I said, standing up and brushing my pants off. "But I've gotta go—it's getting a bit late anyways." And with that, I took off, making sure to not run into a building or a door on my way. _Sorry, guys,_ I thought, looking behind my shoulder to see them exit the building as soon as I turned a coner. _But there _are_ some things people should keep hidden. _

- : - : - : - : - : -

Author's Note: I _was_ going to publish this around Thanksgiving, but I guess I kinda forgot to... Anyways, I thought I might spend some of this AN about the weird words Aer's saying. 'Ma'aterk Lj'i-namu' literally means 'moon mage' or 'mage of the moon'. It's pronounced like this; mah-aw-tear-key lih-hee-naw-mu. Chances are, you all were pronouncing it wrong, though this should help while you guys read. (I might do this for all the words in later chapters...)

_Hydriatus_ – I got the idea of her running into a wall from my friends. :p And I know, everyone hates cliffhangers, but they're always fun to write :)

I recently drew Aer as she is on her Pactio card, and posted it on my site. Unfortunately, since I can't post the link here, you'll have to make do with what I've got (type a '.' when I write (DOT) and a '/' when I write (SLASH)): aviartongaia (DOT) bravehost (DOT) com (SLASH) EXTRASTUFF (DOT) html. Thanks, and happy holidays to everyone!


	11. XI: Basic Planning

**Chapter XI  
**_**We're Off to Save a Wizard...**_

It was the month of April—clear skies and sunny days as well as a fourth of the year gone. Today was the fourteenth day of the month, which was nearing its end. The sun had already set, while the moon was still rising to its highest point of its orbit. Night was quiet in Mahora, and the night was also peaceful to me.

I was lying on top of my bed, staring at the whitewash ceiling of the room I shared with no one else. My mind kept replaying the conversation in the infirmary, when the accursed weasel shoved truth serum down my throat and made answer questions I wanted hidden for a little while longer. And I'm glad I didn't have to answer everything.

"_...why exactly is this Yates guy so bad?"_ The line echoed in my mind like it was taunting me. "If you only knew" I muttered to myself, turning onto my side. My hand reached out to the lamp standing on my nightstand, flicking to switch off. _If only you knew._

- : - : - : - : - : -

_BRRIIING_

The joyous sound of the dismissal bell went off, and the class of 3-A acted like it was the last day of school everyday. They bowed to their teacher, yes, though they usually rushed out of the classroom right after doing so. Some students would chit-chat awhile longer but still leave within the first minute after the end bell. Myself, on the other hand, had nowhere special to go, so I just packed my bags slowly. I'd always be the last one out, unless Negi-Sensei needed to talk with someone after class that is.

I had just finished packing away my miscellaneous binder in my bag and stood up when the teacher called me over. _Seems like once the cat's outta the bag, he'd want to know everything else too._ Sighing, I walked over to his desk and replied with a not-so-caring "Yes?"

"Well," He began, neatly organizing his papers and putting them into a folder. "It's sorta about what happened yesterday..." _Damn, I knew it. _I sighed again.

"What is it?"

He looked straight at me with his chocolate-brown eyes. "It's just that...I want to help you help your brother."

I was shocked. "You...wanna...help?" I stuttered out, staring at him curiously. "Why?"

"It's just 'cause..." His voice trailed off. His gaze wandered around the room, either trying to think of something to say, or to buy time. "Well, if I'm gonna be a Magister Magi one day, then I," He took a breath. "I'd need to start helping people in need. And...and I'd want to help you and your brother and thank you for making me smile sometimes, and making me feel, well..." he shivered remembering the field trip, as did I.

"I get your point," I said before he could continue. "Although the faster the better I suppose. I was going to test your capabilities, but it's already too late. Besides, how is this going to work?"

"What do you mean, Aer-San?"

"Well, you've gotta teach and I've gotta learn and we can't just up and leave—people would get the wrong idea, maybe—though it would take more than an afternoon."

Negi-Sensei thought over the words I said, then snapped his fingers. "I got it! Next week is spring break, so the whole school would get the week off. We could go then, unless saving your brother would take longer than a week...?"

"No, actually, that's a perfect plan!" _And just in time too!_ "Friday would be our last day, so we could possibly talk then and leave Saturday. Would that work?"

He pulled out a small book from his bag, flipped the pages, and shook his head. "No, there's a staff meeting Friday after school, and knowing them the whole day would be wasted; I probably wouldn't get back to my dorm until eight or nine, maybe ten the latest. Is leaving Sunday okay, or...?" Negi-Sensei looked at me puzzled. This whole thing was leading into a predicament.

My brain was rattling with all the things that have happened since the summer I graduated to now. It hurt my head, and life could've been smoother if _that_ didn't happen. "If we plan Saturday morning, leave in the afternoon, we'd arrive around evening due to the time changes. That'd leave me Sunday and Monday..." My voice trailed to a whisper, then thoughts. "Yeah, that'll work, I hope. So," I turned to look at the teacher. "You'll go to that meeting Friday, and possibly talk on MIM if you can to get the preparations and planning started. The next day, we'll finish preparations and leave. Sound like a plan?"

The ten-year-old nodded. "That should work. I'll try to possibly sneak out of the meeting early, or if not get back to my dorms ASAP. But, how bad would it be?"

"Not too bad, bring you and your staff (Chamo if you desperately need to—please don't!). Possibly a back-up wand, and you should be good. Deal?"

"Deal!" He said, smiling. I picked up my bag and was just about to exit the room when he asked a last question. "Aer-San, where are we going?"

Without turning around, I gave a slight smile and replied, "In due time, you'll see. Just wait 'till then."

- : - : - : - : - : -

Wednesday and Thursday flew by quickly, and Friday came upon us. All the girls wanted to leave and be on spring break already, though they still had one day left. And that one day always seems to drag on and on. However, it didn't seem that long for me, in fact, it seemed like a Tuesday or any other ordinary day.

During English class and home base, Negi-Sensei would sometimes look in my direction for a split second, usually during the time when the rest of 3-A had to do book work or paraphrase a poem from English to Japanese in their own words. It was simple for me I didn't really try—I kept staring out the window or up at the blackboard. That was when he'd look and nod or mouth something I could never catch. I think the other girls thought something was up, though I didn't mind.

And once again, the glorious bell ringed; its sound happier than during the rest of the week. Or maybe it was all the girls already in the spring break mood. Whatever it was, I was still the last student out, and even my partner was out quicker than normal. Negi-Sensei had to leave for the meeting right after class, so he didn't have time to dilly-dally. Before he exited through the doorway, he looked over his shoulder and nodded at me, rushing out to beat the crowd on April seventeenth.

- : - : - : - : - : -

The wind picked up later in the afternoon, as well as some clouds that drifted through the sky, more and more arriving. It was going to rain soon, just a bit after a few months without a little drizzle. It was 'April Showers' after all.

And there I sat, probably my favorite place in all of Mahora—the World Tree plaza. It wasn't too terribly packed, although the direct level where the tree was growing was empty. It was calm and quiet as I stared up at the clouds, imagining pictures in their formations or thinking about random things that crossed my mind.

My watch, a.k.a. my cell phone clock, read five, nearly six in the evening. Soon it would say seven, then eight, and then I would begin my way to the room. But I thought a bit of rain and think about things I haven't in a long time.

_Pitter. Patter. Pitter. Patter._

The melody of the rain was calming at times, yet could also be angry and powerful. If you just sit down and clear your mind, it's like a little orchestra playing a symphony of whatever it wanted to. A symphony of peace, or of destruction.

"And would you look at the time," I said, staring at the screen of my cell phone. "It's already eight-thirty. Better get to the dorm and see if Negi-Sensei's on MIM yet." So I walked through the rain all the way to the dormitories, like a lone solider coming from battle all alone. _Hm,_ I thought, smiling at myself. _I guess I could be pretty poetic if I wanted to._

- : - : - : - : - : -

"Damn," I muttered, staring at my computer screen atop my bed. "He's not online." I sighed. "It's nine, so the meeting ran late, or he _was_ on, but I was too busy in the rain. Oh well, we'll talk again tomorrow so I guess it's fine." I typed a little message on MIM, hoping he'd get it when he goes on.

_MageTeacherNegi_ is offline.  
(9:12pm) LunarMageAer: Meet me at the Wrld tree PLaza 8-ish tomorrow, k? guess the meeting ran late tho. C ya tomorrow!

I minimized the conversation window so It covered about a fifth of the top of the screen. Yet, I didn't put it on sleep mode just then, because I was staring at my wallpaper; the picture of my brother and I right after our graduation. _We were so happy to graduate and all, but now _this_ had to happen and I haven't seen you actually smile since a little over a year ago. Don't worry brother, I'm coming with help._

- : - : - : - : - : -

(11:02pm) MageTeacherNegi: sorry i couldnt go on yesterday! T-T The meeting was also a little surprise party a few of the teachers held and I was unable to leave! im so tired right now, but I just wanted to know ill see you then. (yawns) eight o clock, got it...  
_MageTeacherNegi_ is now offline

The window box closed as I hit the 'X' in the top-right corner. The clock on my computer read '7:31 AM' so we would discuss the trip in half an hour. I turned off my laptop and plugged it into the wall to charge. Then, I went over to the bathroom to find out the clothes yesterday were still wet.

I sighed. "And it's still raining. Well, it's not _too_ bad. I remember when it rained for a whole week straight after that drought we had couple years ago." Heading back into the main area of the room, I pulled open a dresser and grabbed my usual garb—two shirts and two pants, along with a pair of socks.

Once fully dressed, I ate a small breakfast and, being almost eight, I left the dorm and headed for the World Tree. It was early on a Saturday, so I took the precaution to use a spell to keep water off me. Basically, it was an invisible umbrella.

The campus was empty all the way to the giant tree, where I saw a little black dot at the top. As I neared it, I saw a kid under a black umbrella, and who else is it but Negi-Sensei. "Hey," I said walking up to him. He looked up at me and smiled.

"Hello Aer-San." Even though he was cheery, his eyes had a small black ring to it—he probably didn't get much sleep last night.

"Sorry to wake you up kinda early... Anyways, there's not much to talk about actually. We're going to Wales in the afternoon, and we should reach the isle around six-ish. I'm not sure exactly." Before I went into a bit more detail, I asked him a single question. "You sure you wanna help me out? I mean, it could be dangerous..."

He shook his head. "Nonsense! I want to help you out because I want to, not because of self-pity! Besides, this could help me get closer to becoming great like my dad."

All I could do was smile and nod. _He's ten but he sounds real heroic..._ I thought, then sighed. "Okay, now when we go there, we'll have to go on a _sa'e pa'e_ since I'm not good with transportation magic. And—"

"Wait, what's a _sa'e pa'e_?" He asked, puzzled.

"You'll find out soon enough."

- : - : - : - : - : -

Author's Note: Gah, this chapter kept getting longer and longer, and it's not even the real ending I envisioned for XI. Oh well, I guess not everything's perfect, hm? The chapter title is a bit of a parody of Wizard of Oz's _We're off to See the Wizard_, just for legal rights.  
_Sa'e pa'e_ is pronounced the way it looks; sah-eh pah-eh.' Simple, eh?

_Jack_ -ch.1- Sorry for not including you in the previous chapter, though I'm happy you like my fanfic. (more reviews possibly...? ) :p

_Runekn_ -- Suspense can kill a lot of people with stories, but there's only a couple of chapters left (I think) so don't worry. :)

_Hydriatus_ -- _Reviewer's block_ I suppose. Seriously, what's so hard about writing 'Good job. Can't wait 'till next chapter', hm?

I said it in my fanfic/poem, _Christmas Nightmare_, and I'll say it again—happy holidays and merry Christmas everyone! (and I'll probably write another chapter in '08) (Oh, and let's not forget 'happy birthday' to me in a few days from now :)


	12. XII: End's Coming

**Chapter XII  
**_**The Beginning of the End**_

Rain poured down from the skies as the clouds covered the area in its grey puffiness. The sun would be halfway up in the sky if you could see it at all. Midday came and the ground was completely wet, getting wetter by the minute.

And even though it was Saturday and the rest of my life was ahead, I only had a few more days to save him. But this time, Negi-Sensei's coming with me.

"That should be everything," I muttered, looking through my pack again for the fourth time. All the items I was going to bring with me were stuffed into the bag, albeit it wasn't much anyways. I glanced over at my alarm clock on my nightstand—it read quarter past twelve. "Better get going 'else we won't have enough time. And just like this one story I've read, time_ is _everything."

Picking up my bag along with my staff and wheel-less 'skateboard', I headed out the dorm, leaving it behind me as just a memory.

- : - : - : - : - : -

"Heya, Aer-San!" Negi-Sensei called from outside the dormitories. He was using the 'invisible umbrella' spell I showed him when we were discussing our plans. On his back was a grey backpack that seemed almost full. He wore a black shirt under a blue jacket and jeans. By the look of his smile, the child seemed anxious to get going on the trip.

"You ready?" I asked, to which he responded nodding his head fast. "Let's go then." And with that, I led Negi-Sensei outside of the campus through less-traveled areas that were actually faster than taking the usual route. We made it out of the Mahora boundaries in about twenty minutes, then headed towards the nearby forest area where we would be sure no one could see us. "This seems like a good spot," I muttered.

No one was around and anyone traveling by couldn't see us; it'd be perfect to leave in this area. "Okay," I said, turning to face the ten-year-old who was resting on a tree stump. "We can leave now and be in Wales by five or six." I unclipped the 'skateboard' from a strap on my pack and laid it on the ground—it hovered a good ten centimeters from the dirt. "We'll need to conceal ourselves with a spell. You know one?"

He nodded and stood up. "Yeah, I use it whenever I've gotta fly on my wand. Need me to enchant yours too?" His face beamed at me.

I shook my head. "No, I need you to cast it on this board."

Negi-Sensei looked at me puzzled. "Why? It'd be faster to travel on our wands, right? Besides, how are we going to get there…?"

Sighing I replied, "It's actually slower since you have to watch out for everything and everyone. I told you this morning we'd be riding on a _sa'e pa'e_." He looked even more confused. _Guess he was half asleep this morning,_ I thought. "Look, just use the spell to enchant the board with the spell. You'll see why soon enough." I pointed at the 'skateboard' that was still hovering off the ground and the child decided to just listen to what I said since he pulled out his wand and recited a spell. "Good," I muttered after he was finished. "Now, get on top of the board on the front."

Now he looked uncertain. Surely a board no wider than forty-something centimeters and almost as long as a meter wouldn't hold the weight or size of two kids; especially while _flying_ through the air. But to prove him wrong, I grabbed his arm and shoved him onto the board facing forward. Before he could complain, I stood on the back end and maneuvered the board to fly. And fly we did. After five seconds, we were a good ten meters off the ground, and rising. We were already flying towards Wales in no less than twenty-seconds, a good fifty meters in the sky.

And to his disbelief, Negi-Sensei was enjoying the ride as if he was on a really long roller coaster, "whee"-ing and looking down below without having to control; must be the first time he flew when someone else was steering.

"This," I called out over the roar of the wind. "This, Negi-Sensei, is a smaller version of a _sa'e pa'e_."

- : - : - : - : - : -

We landed around evening on a hill with very little plant life anywhere. It seemed as if there was a wildfire that would have swept through from one end to the other, but it wasn't a wildfire at all.

Negi-Sensei was half-asleep be the time he arrived—he conked out about an hour ago when it was starting to get dark. It took some time to get my bearings of where I landed, but I knew my house wasn't very far away, as was the town in the opposite direction. I nudged the child and he woke up and got off the board, to which I then clipped onto my pack. He looked around and asked, with a sleepy tone in his voice, "Where are we?"

"We're almost there," I said. _Tomorrow's Sunday, so that'd be the twentieth. Then the twenty-first is Monday, so it's all right. I've got two days this time._ "My house is no more than a kilometer away." He nodded, then followed me in silence. We passed by the black trees and the remnants of what used to live here, even the animals. When we passed by a huge, hundred-meter long crater, memories came flooding back, but I didn't bother lingering on them.

We arrived at a small peninsula in ten minutes from when we landed, and I was surprised to see anyone in this part of town. There were two figures walking around like idiots when they spotted me. One of them, a teen with blonde hair in jeans and a blue shirt came up to me, confused. "Excuse me," He started, pulling at a broken pocket watch from his pocket, glancing at it and putting it back in his pocket. "Have you seen someone around here that looks suspicious? Maybe evil or out-of-place…?"

"Well, there's you…" I reply, raising an eyebrow. "No one really ever comes to this part of the island, ya'know…"

He looked down at his feet. "Thanks anyways." He murmured, and left with the other figure in the shadows. _What was that about…? Weirdo._

The peninsula was small and didn't seem much like a peninsula—more like an extra piece of rack that's hanging off the edge of the island. It was quiet and dark already as we went up to the house at the other side from which we came from. The building wasn't too terribly small, twenty or thirty meters wide and two story. There were small flowers and green patches around the area, as well as a view off the end. The windows were pitch-black, the exterior was painted a crème color, and the door—stained a light brown that was fading in some spots—had no door knob, no nook, no anything. In order to get inside, you had to recite a line of an old language; this house was built during the war as to keep the enemies out.

I spoke the words softly as to not give away the line to anyone, including any possible spies, but loud enough that a small 'creak' came from the door. "Come on, we should sleep tonight and head out tomorrow," I said to Negi-Sensei as I started walking into the house, the kid teacher following behind me like a drone.

After we entered the house, the door closed like magic and the air was a bit chilly. The entryway had two openings to other rooms on the right and left and ahead was a small hallway that leads to a set of stairs. The floor was wooden panels, cold for some reason, and off to the left was a painting about a hundred years old. It was a battle between two different groups of mages, fighting over a wide plain.

"Where are we?" The ten-year-old asked, not seeming tired anymore. He took off his shoes like he was still in Japan, and went to look off in the openings.

"We're at my house," I replied, dropping of my pack and wand in the room to the right. "I've lived here since a long time."

"This is your house?!" He asked surprised, entering the same room I had. This one was like a living room, with two loveseat couches on either sides of a coffee table and bookshelves lining most of the walls. There were also several different artifacts on small, meter high podiums that had magical barriers around them.

I turned around and headed around to the opposite side of the house, Negi-Sensei following me, gazing at anything and everything. "Yup. It's getting late so we should eat a little something then head to bed. There are a few extra rooms upstairs so you don't have to fit on the couch." I entered the kitchen and opened a medium-sized fridge, looking through its contents. There wasn't much food left, though enough for a little while considering we'd have to eat today and tomorrow morning before we head out. "Hope you don't mind some sandwiches, soda and some other munchies for desert. They didn't leave much left." I took out the bread and deli fixings.

"Sandwiches are fine," He said, sitting down at a round table for four. "But who didn't leave much? Someone else live here?"

Placing some turkey slices and cheese on the open pieces of bread, I replied, "Yeah. Me and my brother and his Spirit all lived here. Then, as you may remember from the infirmary, Yates came and made it hell. I would've gone and fixed it but after the last incident, I knew he was too powerful. So I decided to get some help and remembered your dad." His eyes looked wide at me. Or maybe it was the food… "Last time I had met him, I remember he'd mentioned his son, and surely he'd be powerful. Besides, maybe if you were older you'd be stronger, though I can't wait years for you to grow up and learn a few more magic spells. Here's your sandwich." I said, handing him a plate with turkey, cheese, and lettuce between two wheat bread slices. Then I went and grabbed two cups, the one-liter left in the two-liter bottle, and poured two cups of lemon-lime soda.

"Thanks," He said, eating his food as soon as I went to make mine as if he hadn't eaten in days. "Won more ques'on." He said with a mouthful of food. "Vu shaid somfing abou a 'Shpirit'. Wot do vu mean?"

Finishing my sandwich, I grabbed the extra cup of soda and sat at the table across from Negi-Sensei. "Well, don't worry about it. Western mages don't use them anymore anyways." I took a bite of my sandwich.

Swallowing, he said, "What? But we've never changed—Western mages have always used the same techniques and spells and stuff. How can we not use these 'Spirits' anymore? And what are they." He drank about half the cup in one gulp.

"Vell," I said, gulping down the food in my mouth. "Western mages _have_ changed since the War, and they created this new system of Pactio cards. They even stopped using the mage's language too. No one even remembers how to create a Spirit anyways. And I told you to don't worry about it." I took a big bite of my sandwich, leaving another mouthful left.

"But," Negi-Sensei said, wolfing down the rest of his dinner. "I've never heard of them or this 'language of mages' or Spirits or anything. The library at my school had an extensive collection of books, albeit nothing compared to the one at Library Island, but still…"

Finishing the rest of my food and swallowing the last of my soda, I replied, "Listen, Negi-Sensei; there are secrets people want to remain hidden forever. Secrets they never want the light of day to reach into the darkness and reveal what's hidden. And the secrets I have…; there's so many deep down inside me, they'll never escape. And there are also things that should remain secret. Forever."

- : - : - : - : - : -

Dawn broke early this morning with little to no clouds anywhere. Inside the house, the temperature was average, being not too cold or warm. I was up already, changed into a new set of clothes and already downstairs preparing what was left of the food for breakfast; toaster waffles, a few eggs, and half of a carton of orange juice. Not the best selection, but it killed the hunger pains.

Negi-Sensei walked in sleepily, and sat down at the table yawning. I placed the plate of food down for both of us on either sides of the table, and we ate silently. We finished and he went up to change while I went over to the living area of the room, looking through the bookshelves. Once I spotted the book I was looking for, I pulled it out and brought it to the couch where my pack was placed. Inside, I found the book I took from Library Island way back when I first arrived at Mahora. The two books were the same except for one detail—the one I took was translated differently. Incorrectly, in fact.

"It's amazing how much your past can follow you through the future." I muttered, laying both the books down on the coffee table and stood up. I headed over to a door hidden beside a large bookcase and entered it.

This room was long and seemed as dark as the night. The only light came from the many pedestals stretching the length of the room. Several different artifacts were on top of them, ranging in shape, size, and era they originated from. It's amazing how every mage's item can vary, although as I walked down the row, one pedestal was empty. Well, half-empty in fact, for a dark silhouette was forming, shaping a familiar artifact I'd come to know on this trip. Sighing, I said, "And yet, the future still holds secrets too."

- : - : - : - : - : -

The trek from my house to the place we needed to be took a good half an hour on foot. It _would've_ been faster to be on our wands, though then we'd be an easier target in the air. I'd much rather not take the chance—we've got the whole rest of the day anyways.

"This is it?" The child-teacher asked. We were facing a thin strip of land, maybe twenty meters long and one-third meters wide. It looked shaky and as if it would crumble the minute we walked on it. On the other side was what appeared to be a small hill not as big as my house. There were large patches of brown dirt and stone, barely any grass at the base.

"Yeah," I replied. "Now follow me as fast as you can and don't stop. Don't use magic to fly or speed up—just run like hell. Ready, go." And with that I sped down the narrow strip, hoping a confused Negi-Sensei was following behind. I heard the earth beneath me already crumbling and falling into the sea; though I didn't stop until both my feet were firmly on the other side. And to my surprise, the kid was right behind my on the hill, panting. "Good, you made it." He looked up, tired, and smiled.

I waited about five minutes for him to catch his breath and then we went around to the other side of the hill facing this ocean. A large boulder was planted steadfastly on a flat area, covering up the back of it. Pushing it forward _into_ the hill, I felt it budge and then roll down a semi-steep slope. The tunnel beneath wasn't pitch black—there was a faint red glow that illuminated it.

As we ventured down, the light grew brighter until we entered a large cavern with several stone doors encircling the walls. The boulder from above disappeared into a large whole in the middle of the room.

"Whoa," I heard Negi-Sensei declare as he reached the bottom. He looked upwards, yet couldn't see the top. "We didn't travel that far did we?" Looking down, he saw the giant hole and gasped again. "Where are we?"

"It's a volcano," I replied, looking from door to door without moving. "It's far beneath the water and probably continues down for a couple extra kilometers. It's never been discovered by normal humans for the fact that it doesn't look at all like a hill nor that people would risk their lives to discover it." I spotted a door and began heading towards it. "It was used as a hideout during the War, though it's been said the eruption was so sudden, it killed everyone and everything in it." There was a large carving of words covering the wall.

"What's that say?" Negi-Sensei asked from behind me. Apparently he followed me when I went over to the door.

"It's a riddle, though I already know the answer." I pressed my palm to the carving and muttered, 'tân' in a low voice not even the ten-year-old could hear. And as if by magic, the door opened with a quiet rumbling sound.

And the room looked somewhat identical to the previous one except the ceiling wasn't as high and there was a small river of lava that traveled around the bottom of the perimeter. There wasn't a giant hole, either.

And at the end of the room, darker and set aside by a river in between the land and the rest of the room, was a figure hunched and facing the opposite way. His clothes were all torn and dirty; his hair was far longer than the appropriate length; and he was muttering something in a strange tongue of every language he knew.

My eyes widened, and before I could speak, I was hit by a powerful darkness spell that sent me backwards into the first room near the hole. I saw Negi-Sensei was hit by another spell in the opposite direction. I tried getting up, but the spell hit me in the stomach that it hurt to get to my feet. My staff was in hand already, and I headed into the room only to be whacked by another spell. I screamed, I think. My body felt limp as I was thrown against the door, which closed after I entered the second time. Looking up, my vision seemed worse although I could make out four shapes in the room; one was the disheveled clump of rags at the far end, another was Negi-Sensei getting to his feet and pulling something out from his pocket, and the other two were muttering incantations.

The first was an older man with medium-length black hair and wore a blue long-sleeved shirt and jeans. The second was thinner than the first with red, spiky hair and in a t-shirt and short pants. Evil printed all over them. Yet instead of hearing their spells, for they were reciting them out loud, I heard a different spell. It was a hoarse whisper, but it was as clear as day.

**"**Sis Mea Pars! Ministra Negī, Aēr Hazumī!"

Power surged through me all of a sudden and not only did my vision see more clearly, but the aches seemed to have died down. I stood up and muttered a spell to avert the attention of the two mages that attacked us. "Ūndētrīgintā Spīritūs Ignis Coeuntēs... Sagitta Magica Seriēs Ignis!" Twenty-nine arrows of fire appeared and targeted the mages. They sped through the air, creating a 'whoosh' sound as they approached their target. They hit and blew up, but nothing was there. _They moved!_ I thought turning around to hear a scream of pain.

The larger of the two snuck behind Negi-Sensei and blasted his back with a powerful ice spell. He fell to the ground, not dead or completely out, just badly wounded. I was prepared to heal him but the other one attacked me with a fire spell of his own. Falling to the ground hurt, yet my body wouldn't rest yet.

I pulled out the object from a case strapped around my waist via belt. The object was slightly longer than my hand and as thin as a few sheets of paper. Slowly, I got to my knees and held up the card. Time moved slowly then, and no one seemed to move; as if frozen to place.

My eyes looked directly at Negi-Sensei's fallen body, and I recited the spell as loud as I could muster—making sure that it would go through and work.

"Sis Mea Pars! Minister Aēr Hazumī, Negī Springfieldēs! Compleo mutuo!"

- : - : - : - : - : -

Author's Note: Sorry It's been a few weeks since I last updated, but winter's usually the busiest time for me. :-p Anyways, climax! The suspense! And the end is coming near, so near in fact that I can smell it. Or maybe that smell's not the end…

Anyways, this chapter seemed to be longer than what I envisioned, although I think it went through well. This is probably the last cliffhanger I'll be able to write for this story, so that's good for you and bad for me (I think). I'm also going to post up new pictures on the website, though I still need to scan 'em and upload then (they'll be there soon. :D)

_Tikigod784_ -- Thanks for reviewing again! It's been awhile, too.

_Runekn_ -- There's one, possibly two chapters left, as I'll say below. And a sa'e pa'e _could_ be dangerous; although it depends who/what/how it's being controlled.

There's only one, _possibly_ two chapters left for _Student Number 32_. I doubt that the story will stretch enough for two chapters, though. I'm hoping to have it finished soon, no later than the end of January.


	13. XIII: The End

**Chapter XIII  
**_**The End**_

_**Negi's POV**_

_Time seemed to be at a stand still._

_I could feel something stabbing my chest, but it wasn't cold like metal or warm with blood. It was inside me, and it could've been the attack from behind. A broken rib, perhaps more along with other organs and bones, maybe. Then there was a faint light off to the distance. My vision was getting more obscure and darker; I thought it was the light people claim to see when they die. But then there was something else that told me I wasn't dead yet. _

_It was a new feeling of energy coursing through my veins, healing me as well as strengthening me. My body was still weak, though—the attack previously must've banged me up both my body and my mind. Yet, the spell sounded so quiet to me, despite the echo of the room._

"_Sis Mea Pars! Minister Aēr Hazumī, Negī Springfieldēs! Compleo mutuo!"_

_Her voice, both quiet and hoarse, rang off the walls. Aer-San had a Pactio of me, as I did with her. She also lent me some of her strength—albeit not much—though that's why I was able to stand. I just couldn't figure out a few things._

_One, even though I thought that everything stopped moving like during dramatic parts, nothing and no one were moving an inch. The figures and lava stood where they were. That confused me._

_The second thing was why some unkempt and oddly-looking guy was in here. I mean, it seems like his hair grew lighter assuming he had black hair, and he gave off hardly any magic energy. Unless if he is...?_

_Last thing that confused me was why everything was fading away into darkness. As soon as I got up, everything stopped and started disappearing. Was it my mind, or an illusion?_

_Oh, and there's some annoying voice saying my name off to the distance. What a nag..._

_Then someone pressed an invisible "play" button, and things geared back into life again. The two bad guys were standing in the middle of the room. Aer-San was standing up slowly, but still alright. The larger mage had an evil grimace, thinking what a challenge this fight would be. The other one with red hair had a look of annoyance. I probably looked beat up, but I could still move._

_And that's when the ground started shaking._

"_Ignis extraho, adveho quod efflectum meus hostilis!" I wasn't sure which one of them recited the spell, but a large, ten-meter crack began from below, covering half the diameter of the floor. It grew bigger and bigger until a large, fiery claw shot out. That claw was slightly bigger than I was, and I was more afraid what it was connected to._

_My question was answered as a demon emerged, a cross between a western dragon and a scorpion, it had a large head with two rows of sharp, killer teeth. Wings of fire emerged from the back, along with a pair of claws and feet, all identically razor-sharp and deadly. It had a six-meter long tail that ended in a sharp point, and its body was covered in scales and armor. A monster set out to kill._

_At its full-length of about twenty-two meters, the Fire God was awakened._

"_Whoa," Was all I could say. And although me and Aer-San could probably defeat it after using some tactful plan, we weren't fully rested _and_ had to deal with the two mages at the same time. I got into my battle stance, and was ready to fight when it went pitch-black._

- : - : - : - : - : -

_My eyes opened slowly, and I couldn't see much. It was white, I knew that, but it was too bright and my eyes hurt. I was just about to fall asleep again when I heard someone nearby, crying._

_Turning my head around, I saw I was in a clearing with dead plants everywhere, there was dirt beneath me rather than lush grass and wildflowers, and off to the distance I could see smoke. But the thing that surprised me the most was a body lying less than a meter away from where I was. It took me by surprise, and with the black-white hair and odd-looking clothes, I thought it was Aer-San—lying dead beside me._

_But that couldn't be right 'cause she was standing a little bit a ways, looking at the night sky. She turned, and her eyes were red from crying, but she was alive. _Then who was...?_ I thought, standing up. _

"_I'm sorry..." She mumbled, and I wasn't sure what she meant by that._

"_Uh...Aer-San...Are you, well, okay?" _

_She didn't reply, rather walked past me and knelt by the figure. I gasped. They look almost identical, although Aer-San hair slightly longer and her bracelet was red rather than blue. "I'm sorry..." She repeated. I wanted to say something, but I wasn't sure what._

_Then, a clock tower nearby tolled. It was midnight. And then I was floating away._

"_W-wait!" I yelled, trying to resist the invisible force dragging me. "What's happening?!" _

_Aer-San merely looked in my direction, and then disappeared._

"_Wait!..."_

- : - : - : - : - : -

I awoke with a start to the sound of the droning ring of the clock tower. Papers flew from under me and I was unsure what was going on. Looking around, I saw something different.

I was in my classroom.

"What the--? What just happened?" The seats were empty and the sun outside was letting in a warm orange glow. It was nearly evening, and I was in Mahora. "Where's Aer-San and what happened to the demon and those two mages and and--!" I stopped short when I scanned the top of my agenda lying on top of my desk. It said it was March. _March_! "But it was spring break already..."

My head hurt and something was wrong. I was supposed to be in Wales helping Aer-San in the middle of _April_, instead I'm sitting at my desk in _March_. Was I a loony?

I sighed. Something _was_ wrong, and I knew I shouldn't be getting back to my dorm. Maybe then I could figure this out...

- : - : - : - : - : -

Flicking on the light switch, it was empty. Asuna-San or Konoka-San weren't back yet, probably finding some way not to do their homework.

I dropped my things off at the couch and climbed up to my loft. Chamo wasn't here either, though that was good—I wanted to think privately. My laptop was off as usual, and while I waited for it to boot up, I made a pot of tea. Its aroma filled the room and I was in a better mood. Tea was one of my comfort foods.

As soon as the virus scan was completed, I logged onto my Mahoo account, as I did every time I got on, and scanned through my e-mails. I had ten e-mails, two of which weren't junk mail. The first was from the Mahora library, saying that there was a new selection of books available for check-out. The second one had no sender name, but its subject said 'tHanK yoU'. I wasn't sure what it was, though my guess was that it'd be another stupid e-mail about something I don't care about. Clicking on it, the message read this;

'neGi-seNSe**i**,  
I'_**m s**__o S__**orR**__y_ (_**b**_**U**_**t**_) wERn**t** aBle 2 **h**elP **a**s mUCh. iT _waS _fu**n**. **k**AY**s** :)  
- **a**ND YOUR W**e**LCOME FO**r** IT'

There was something odd about the message. For one, the middle line didn't make much sense, and no one signed it so how am I suppose to know who wrote it? _Wait, could it be...?_ I thought, looking back and re-reading the small e-mail. _But that's impossible..._ Aer-San could've sent it, but all the facts don't add up. It's a week earlier than when I was supposed to have gotten the letter from the dean saying Aer-San would be in my class. And then this letter could be from some random person who could've used my information from any site to send it.

Ugh, this was confusing.

_KNOCK KNOCK_

"Who could that be...?" I wondered, climbing down and opening the door. And to my surprise, it was no one. "Prankster, prob'ly..." I thought, closing the do—wait! "What's that?" Standing at the bottom of the door was a cardboard box. It was a little small than my feet to my knees, and on top it said my name. 'to: negi-sensei'.

I picked up the box and entered the dorm, closing the door and setting the package on the coffee table. Using a pair of scissors, I cut the tape from the edges and opened it.

On top of the Styrofoam peanuts was a card. Small, but definitely a card. I picked it up and read it aloud.

"'Negi-Sensei,  
Thank you again, and I hope this will suffice. It wasn't long ago when it happened, but let me tell you something; don't always believe what you dream. Dreams aren't real. Most of the time.  
-Bye-'"

'_...don't always believe what you dream. Dreams aren't real. Most of the time.'_ "Dreams aren't real...maybe it was a dream, but how do I explain all _this_!?" I sighed, and emptied out the styrofoam to see what was inside...

- : - : - : - : - : -

Author's Note: I WAS BUSY!!!! Sorry it took awhile to update though I don't know if it was really worth the wait (sigh). Maybe, but I dunno. Just glad I finally finished this fanfiction.

Thanks to Runekn, Tikigod, and Hydriatus and everyone else for reviewing. Thanks for the comments (smiles) and criticism (glares) but thanks for reviewing.

This story could've turned out differently, I know. And my new fanfiction will be uploaded if I can find time. Oh, and I might post new pictures on my sire, I don't know when but they'll be there. At some point in time, yes. Until then,

Arigato, ne! -TzuiAssassian-


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